Cherished
by Ivy Rain
Summary: Dealing with the aftermath of Sirius’ death, and weighed down with the news of the prophecy, all Harry wants is to be left alone with his thoughts. He soon discovers that it isn’t as easy as he’d once thought, especially with friends like his.
1. Ch 1 Moonlight and Gardens

**Chapter 1 – Moonlight and Gardens**

Ducking through the shelter of leaves, Harry sat down at the base of the trees, knowing that sooner or later someone would seek him out. He pushed back the annoyance he felt rising. Despite his best efforts, his friends persisted in keeping him company. Oh, he knew that they cared for him and were worried about him, but not once since he'd arrived at the Burrow had he had a moment alone to himself.

Leaning against the tree, Harry closed his eyes and tried not to think. The weather obviously didn't know that there was a war – the war to end all wars – going on. It was a beautiful summer day; the sun was hot on his skin with just enough of a breeze to cool him off. He caught the scent of flowers from Mrs Weasley's garden in the air. The scent reminded him of the Burrow itself and made him feel at home. Harry yawned. Wanting to enjoy his bit of privacy while he could, he tried not to think about the horrible Dursleys or Dumbledore or school. The thoughts about Voldemort and the prophecy and Sirius's death in May were harder to avoid. Yawning again, Harry stretched out on the soft green grass and quickly fell asleep.

"Harry," Ron said, nudging Harry's side with his foot. "Hey mate, wake up. Mum says it's time for dinner."

"Huh? What?" Harry blinked sleepily.

"Dinner. You know, the most important meal of the day."

"Ron, every meal is the most important to you."

Ron laughed as he helped Harry to his feet. He started to ask Harry if he was okay, but decided against it. If Harry didn't want to talk about what was going on, he wasn't going to push him. Ron knew that Harry would talk when he was ready.

"Mum, is it seven or eight of us tonight?"

"Seven, dear," Harry heard Mrs Weasley say as he came into the kitchen. "Your father owled to say he'd be late again. There you boys are," Mrs Weasley said as she saw them. "Harry, go wash up then help Ginny set the table. Ron and Hermione will get the food."

Harry finished up in the loo and met Ginny at the table. She had already begun to set out the plates for everyone. Harry looked over at her with a puzzled look on his face. He had only ever set the table for the Dursley's while staying at Privet drive. Four, although they certainly would have preferred having only the three of them, was much less then the Weasley's alone. Ginny just smiled a shy grin and nodded her head towards the silverware, "Just start with those."

Harry grabbed the silverware and started setting it out along the table. He noticed that Ginny had left the table and had grabbed the napkins. _I should have remembered to grab those first. Now she has extra work to do. _As Harry thought about it, he couldn't help but glance at her out of the corner of his eye. When he saw Ginny look his way, he dropped a fork and quickly focused far too hard on putting it in the proper place. She couldn't help but smirk at his behaviour. _What's with Harry? He's certainly not this shy or clumsy when it's just us hanging out. Usually it's Ron who is clumsy. _With that thought, she noticed Ron and Hermione starting to bring the many bowls of food to the table.

Ginny had come around the side of the table and slightly brushed up against Harry's forearm as she placed the napkin down before he could lay the silverware. She looked up at him, but when he looked at her she smiled shyly and then looked back down at the plate. _Butterflies, go away; for crying out loud we are just setting the table. Harry and I have touched more then that before. Honestly, will you guys just knock it off down there? If you keep it up I won't be able to eat anything. _Ginny smiled again, with her hair half hiding her face, at her thoughts.

Meanwhile, Harry had picked up the pace when he started smelling more and more of Mrs Weasley's wonderful cooking. _Shite. Ginny just touched me again. Why do I keep acting like a daft fool and keep jerking away? She's going to think something is wrong with me. _Harry thoughts had pulled him away from the smells of the food with Ginny's soft, accidental touch. He smiled again when he noticed Ginny quickly look down, yet again.

Ron walked into the dining room carrying a huge plate of food. He saw the smiles from his sister and his best friend while they set the table. _What is going on with these two? What little secret are they sharing over there? I wish they would just hurry up already. I'm starving. If they aren't done by the time I get back them I'm just going to have to do it myself. _Ron, Hermione and Mrs Weasley had brought the rest of the food out. Mrs Weasley called out, "Come on everyone. Tuck in, tuck in. The food is ready."

Sitting down next to Ron, Harry helped himself to ham and potatoes.

"Harry, you have to eat more than that," Hermione admonished him as she pushed the green beans and bread towards him.

With his plate full, Harry listened to the conversations around him as he ate. Ginny was telling Hermione about the new _Weird Sisters_ song she'd heard on the WWN, but Hermione hadn't heard it. She only listened to Muggle-radio at home, but was excitedly telling Ginny about this new station that played music that was popular from before they were born. At the other end of the table, Bill and Fleur were debating the merits of this flower over that one, with Mrs Weasley offering her opinion every few minutes.

"Ginny, this year is going to be hard for you. Do you want me to help you study for your O.W.L.s? Of course, I still haven't quite decided on my N.E.W.T. classes. I just can't decide whether I should stay in Astronomy or not. Ron, what classes are you taking this year?"

Ron, who was on his third helping by then, merely shrugged. He wouldn't tell Hermione of course, but he figured he'd just take whatever classes Harry was planning on taking.

As Hermione turned to Harry, he cut off her question before it could be asked. "I don't know and I don't care and I really don't want to talk about it, Hermione."

"Really, Harry. Everyone knows that your N.E.W.T.s will determine your career options. This is much too important of a decision to leave for the last minute." When Harry refused to answer, Hermione began pestering him about his class options.

"Enough!" Harry yelled as he stood up. "I said I didn't want to discuss it."

Watching Harry storm back outside, Hermione looked stricken. "What did I say?" she asked. Ron looked torn between following his best mate and staying to comfort Hermione.

Ginny patted Hermione's shoulder. "He'll be okay, just let him alone about his classes, okay? He only got an 'E' in Potions and you know Snape won't accept anyone into N.E.W.T. level without an 'O'."

Hermione continued to look perplexed.

"He can't be an Auror without Potions," Ginny stated as she walked out the door.

"I heard what you said in there. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Ginny sat down on a large rock near Harry. "She can be awful bossy at times; insisting that I'll need her help studying for my O.W.L.s, as if I haven't done quite well in school for the past four years without her help."

Harry laughed. "She means well though."

"Yeah, I know she does."

How long they sat there in silence, Ginny didn't know. There were so many things she wanted to say to Harry, to ask him about, but she didn't know how or even if she should.

"Knut for your thoughts," she heard Harry say.

Without realizing it, Ginny heard herself asking Harry about Sirius. "Not about _that_," she stammered, "I mean, what was he like? Even though we stayed at Grimmauld Place, I never really had a chance to get to know him."

Harry was quiet for so long that Ginny wondered if she'd upset him more. "Well, he was…cool, I guess. He was funny and smart. He liked to prank people like the twins, but he could be mean too. Even though he was my godfather, he was always more of a friend than a parent. Somehow though, I think he's probably a lot like how my dad was."

Ginny noticed how Harry referred to Sirius as if he was still here, but didn't correct him. "Do – do you miss him awfully much?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," Harry answered softly, "Yeah I do." He wondered what it was about Ginny that made it so easy to talk to her. "I've never lost anyone I cared about before. I mean – I was just a baby when my mum and dad died so I can't really miss what I don't remember. And Cedric, well, he was sort of a friend but I didn't know him all that well either. Sirius was different. He loved me and I loved him. I was even going to live with him after –" Harry was too choked up to finish. He looked at Ginny with tears in his eyes, hoping she wouldn't ask any more questions.

She didn't. Moving closer, she wrapped her arms around him to let him know that she understood. Overwhelmed by the unexpected gesture, Harry felt the tears as they dripped softly onto his shirt. Hugging Ginny back, they stayed like that until his tears stopped and he felt numb.

Breakfast the next morning was a sombre affair. While Harry was in the shower, Ginny quickly told Hermione and Ron what Harry had said the night before. Ron was shocked that Harry would talk to Ginny about Sirius but not him. Hermione was ashamed of how she had acted, and promised Ginny not to bother Harry about school when he was still mourning Sirius.

Hearing Harry moving around upstairs, Ginny fixed two plates of scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast and set them on the table for Harry and her. She added butter and marmalade to the table, and had turned back to pour them both pumpkin juice when Harry came into the kitchen. Harry thanked her, but avoided looking into her eyes since he felt slightly embarrassed about crying in front of her the night before. As she passed him the marmalade, Ginny smiled and lightly touched his arm to let him know that everything was okay.

Finished with breakfast, the four teenagers looked over the list of chores Mrs Weasley had written out for them. In agreement that the sooner they finished, the sooner they could have fun, the list was split in half. Ron and Harry agreed to de-gnome the garden and dust the downstairs of the house while the girls weeded the flower beds and dusted upstairs. They figured that by the time they were finished with all that, Mrs Weasley would have laundry ready to fold and put away.

Kneeling beside Ginny in a bed of chrysanthemums, Hermione asked, "So what did you really talk to Harry about last night?"

"What do you mean what did we really talk about? I told you over breakfast this morning."

"I know that, I just figured there might be more that you didn't want to say in front of Ron."

Rolling her eyes at how transparent Hermione could be, Ginny sighed. "No, Hermione, I didn't hold anything back. I told you everything there was to tell at breakfast. Mostly we just sat there and didn't talk." _Well_, Ginny thought, _that wasn't entirely a lie. _They did just sit there and not talk, even if it was because Harry was crying on her shoulder. She didn't figure Hermione needed to know about that though. If she did, she'd only pick it all apart to try to figure out what it meant.

Settling into their task, Ginny was only halfway listening as Hermione chattered on about her summer at home. It was with some amusement that Ginny noted Hermione's new found love of music, or at least Muggle music, as Hermione had taken it upon herself to describe what seemed like every single song this new radio station she had found had played.

"It's really an American thing, you know, listening to these older songs, but some of them are really good. The station mostly plays stuff from the 1970s and the 1980s, so they're not super old songs, but they're still old. The 'disco' songs are really weird compared to what we listen to now, but it was very popular when our parents were young. Now, the 'newer' music – for lack of a better term – is more varied but still somewhat strange. Some of it is very laid back and some of it is very fast paced, like what you would hear at a party. Most of the songs are by groups I've never heard of, which is what makes it all so fascinating of course."

"Uh huh," Ginny responded automatically, thinking that a response was needed.

"Ginny, are you even listening to me?"

"Erm, no. I'm sorry, Hermione. I guess I got lost in my thoughts, wondering how Harry was doing."

Hermione smiled knowingly. "We're almost done with this last flower bed. Let's find the boys and go inside. If we hurry we can get the dusting and laundry done before lunch. Then we can make some sandwiches and have a picnic by the pond. It'll be fun."

Ginny agreed. She didn't know if Harry would agree, but hopefully it would serve as a distraction from his thoughts for a little while.

After finishing their chores and changing into bathing suits, they headed towards the pond. Each carried something Hermione deemed necessary for a successful picnic: a blanket to sit on, the Weasley's wireless so they could listen to the WWN, a wicker basket filled with food, and towels for swimming.

After Hermione had dictated where everything should be placed, they settled down to eat. Passing out the thick ham and cheese sandwiches Ginny had made, along with crisps and the butterbeer, she smacked Ron's hand away from the picnic basket.

"Aww, Hermione, what'd you do that for?" he asked. "I just wanted to see what was for afters."

"You'll see it after we eat and not until then."

Pouting, Ron threw himself down on the blanket next to Harry as he unwrapped a sandwich. "Bossy, that one is. What harm is there in knowing what it is? It's not like she'd let me eat it first anyway."

Harry laughed. As much as Ron and Hermione threatened to drive him mental with their arguments, they were his best friends and he couldn't imagine a life without their arguments.

Hearing Harry laugh, Ginny smiled. _This just might be a fun afternoon after all_, she thought as she bit into her sandwich.

Several hours later, Ginny opened her eyes when she felt Harry kneel beside her. Ron had fallen asleep and Hermione was reading a book she'd tucked into her towel.

"Hey, Ginny." He handed her a couple chocolate biscuits. "I found these in the bottom of the basket. Ron must have missed them before his nap."

Ginny smiled as she thanked him. "I'd wanted to bring the cake but Mum said it was for dinner and the biscuits would have to do."

"Mmm, I love your mum's cake. Gives me something to look forward to tonight."

Checking to make sure Hermione was suitably distracted, Harry stretched out beside Ginny with his arms crossed behind his head. "I wanted to thank you again for last night, and for today as well. It's been a really good day."

"No thanks needed, Harry. We're friends and that's what friends do."

"Yeah, friends." Harry was quiet for a few minutes. "You know, that's one of the things I've been thinking about lately. How different friends can be."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Hermione is bossy and controlling and quite like what I imagine a sister would be like, if I had one. She's the one to lecture me about homework assignments and how dangerous this-or-that is, whereas Ron is more relaxed and easy-going. He's the one that's always there with a funny story or ready to skive off our assignments for a game of Quidditch or wizard's chess. As different as they are, I know that both of them would do anything to help me out if I needed it."

"But that's a good thing Harry," Ginny said. "Everyone should be lucky enough to have friends like that. If you asked them, they'd say the same thing about you."

"I know and I think that's what bothers me the most. No matter how often I ask them to leave me alone, they won't. Why won't they when that's what I want?"

"Harry." Ginny stopped. How could she tell him what he needed to hear in a way that he'd be sure to understand? "Harry, you have to see it from their perspective. You're _their_ best friend too. After five years, they know that you get broody and depressed and take the weight of the world on your shoulders. They just want to be there to share the weight and the only way they know how to do that is to stick near you."

Harry thought about what Ginny had said. He hadn't ever really looked at it that way before and said as much. "What you said about us being friends. Did you mean it?"

"Of course I meant it!" Ginny looked surprised. "Why would you think I didn't mean it?"

"I – I had never really thought of us as being friends before. Not like I'm friends with Ron and Hermione anyway. You've always had your own group of friends at Hogwarts and don't really hang out with us."

"Oh, Harry," Ginny laughed. "The reason I didn't hang out with you is because I didn't think you'd want me to. I was just Ron's ickle sister and I had such a crush on you when I started at Hogwarts, I couldn't even speak to you. Don't you remember?"

Harry smiled as he thought back to his first visit at the Burrow. Entering the kitchen one morning and seeing Harry at the table had left Ginny so speechless that she'd dropped the butter dish and run out of the room. "Yeah, I remember. I'm glad you're not speechless around me anymore. It'd be hard to be friends with someone that couldn't bear to be in the same room with me."

Turning on her stomach and resting her head on her arms, Ginny just smiled. Being friends with Harry Potter was at least a good start. Maybe, if she was lucky, it might someday turn into something more. "So tell me, did Ron bother you a lot about yesterday?"

Harry turned over so he was looking at Ginny as he proceeded to tell her about his morning.


	2. Ch 2 A Talk Among Friends

**Chapter 2 – A Talk among Friends**

Discussing the best place to start, Ron and Harry headed towards the garden on the far side of the yard. Trying to fill the awkward silence that had lingered since breakfast, Ron told Harry funny stories from the other three times he'd already de-gnomed the yard that summer. "I don't know why, but for some reason there seems to be more gnomes this summer. You think they know something we don't?"

Harry snorted. "I doubt it. They're stupid little creatures aren't they? Look how many times you've thrown them over the fence, but they still keep coming back."

Reaching the farthest-most fence, the boys started stomping hard on the ground. The noise and vibrations would draw the gnomes above ground out of curiosity, where they would be caught and flung far into the neighbouring field. Reminding Harry to watch out for gnome-bites, Ron stomped his way across the yard. He was always the strategist and had decided that it would be best if they worked their way from opposite corners of the yard and met back up in the middle. It also gave him time to think about the best way to confront Harry about what was going on, both with himself and with Ginny.

Left to himself, Harry grabbed another gnome, spun around a few times to make it dizzy, and threw it as far as he could over the fence. The effort it took to catch and throw the gnomes was intense and not conducive to talking, and he was glad Ron was on the other side of the yard. _I could get used to this,_ he thought. Too bad the garden didn't need de-gnoming every day. Harry settled into a routine and quickly became lost in his thoughts of the night before.

_Harry hadn't really been upset with Hermione, but he was upset that he hadn't worked harder in Potions. He'd known all year that Snape wouldn't accept anyone with less than an "Outstanding" in his N.E.W.T. class. Maybe if he'd practiced more or studied harder he'd have gotten a higher score on his tests. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered though. Snape hated him, especially after the ill-fated Occlumency lessons and Harry's little 'visit' in Snape's Pensieve. _Harry sighed to himself as he chased a gnome that tried to get away. _Ever since the fake Moody had told him that he'd make a good Auror, Harry had wanted to become one. That wasn't an option now and he had nobody to blame but himself. Worse still, Harry didn't have any idea what else he might want to do after he got out of school…except get rid of Voldemort, but that was part of his destiny and wasn't optional if he even wanted to _have_ a future._

Sighing again, Harry reflected on Ginny's behaviour last night. _He'd been caught off guard when Ginny had followed him into the garden. Momentarily thinking that it wasn't like her to do such a thing, he was glad it was her and not one of the others. He hadn't been in the mood to deal with Ron or Hermione, and would likely have said something he'd have to apologize for later. Harry remembered wondering just what it was about Ginny that made it so easy to talk to her. He'd never been able to talk to Ron or Hermione, or any of his other friends the way he could talk to her, even though he didn't think he had ever really and truly talked to her since they were alone in the Chamber of Secrets. He couldn't even remember talking to her about that. I should have_, he thought. _I know better than anyone what she had gone through, but I didn't even bother with her once we got out of there alive._

"Ginny." He realised he was talking out loud and glanced around to make sure no one had heard. Ron was far away, busy fighting a gnome that was trying hard to hang onto a tree root. Harry watched as Ron pulled with all his effort and successfully detached the gnome and threw it out of the yard. Looking towards the house, he saw the girls were still busy pulling weeds from among the flowers. During a previous visit he'd once asked Mrs Weasley why she didn't charm the beds so the weeds wouldn't grow. She had patiently explained to him that there was just something therapeutic about the smell and feel of dirt on your hands and the accomplishment of a job well done. Harry smiled, now fully understanding what she had meant. Turning back to his own section of the yard, Harry stomped around, looking for more gnomes. As he did, his thoughts wandered back to Ginny.

_Seeing him sitting by himself on a cluster of large rocks, she had looked both worried and upset. Harry had noticed a glimmer in her eyes as he thanked her for defending him to Hermione and wondered what it meant. It was nice just sitting there in the quiet of the evening. Although he couldn't help feel that she was waiting for him to say something first, he'd been surprised when she asked him about Sirius. He could tell that she didn't mean to ask it, and felt that he owed her a truthful response. He certainly didn't expect to be in tears moments later. Last night, Harry hadn't felt self-conscious about crying in front of Ginny. It had felt right, like it was the most natural thing in the world, to turn to her for comfort. When he felt her arms close around him, he had instinctively reached for her as he sobbed, remembering all the things he and Sirius had planned, things that would never happen now. After the tears had stopped, they had continued to sit there holding each other. Harry had noticed the feel of her hands, soft but strong, as she rubbed his back the way a mother would a crying child. Ginny's behaviour certainly hadn't felt motherly though, although Harry wasn't certain he could have said what her behaviour had felt like. He remembered the way the moonlight had glinted on her hair, brightening the silky soft strands until they almost glowed. She had smelled faintly of flowers – like home, _Harry thought now, knowing he'd never be able to forget the scent of her.

_It had been late when they'd finally gone inside, almost midnight. Harry had thanked Ginny and said goodnight on the stairs as she headed for her room. Heading upstairs to the room he was sharing with Ron, he hoped Ron wasn't waiting up for him. If he was, well, Harry wasn't sure he was ready to answer any questions Ron might have. When he saw Ron's blankets pulled over his head and heard snoring, Harry had grinned at his lucky escape. After changing and crawling into bed, he felt exhausted from his emotional outburst earlier and quickly fell asleep. It was only when he woke up this morning that he had felt embarrassed about the night before. Harry had feigned sleep, waiting until everyone else had gone downstairs for breakfast before getting up and taking his time in getting ready. He wasn't sure what to say to Ginny today or if she'd act differently around him now. If by chance she'd decided to tell Ron or Hermione about last night, he'd surely never heard the end of it._

"Hey Potter. I think that's all of them. Come on, I'm thirsty. Let's go find some pumpkin juice." Harry started as Ron clapped him on the shoulder, not having realised they were done. "What were you thinking about anyway? You had this funny look on your face."

"A little of everything I suppose," Harry replied truthfully.

Making their way into the kitchen, Ron took the pitcher from the cooling cabinet while Harry got out two glasses and set them on the table. Grabbing some biscuits from the jar on the counter, Ron joined Harry at the table and poured them both juice. "So, um, this morning Ginny said…" Ron's voice wavered as his words died off.

"Ginny said what?" Harry was nervous. He really, really hoped this conversation wasn't going to go where he thought it was. He knew from experience that Ron wasn't the type of person that dealt well with emotions or emotional people.

"Well, she told us that you two just sat and talked last night. I know you, Harry, and you haven't ever spent that long talking with someone, not even Dumbledore." Ron cleared his throat and gave Harry his best 'big brother' glare, mentally preparing himself for the next question. "So tell me. What exactly were you doing in the garden with my ickle sister until midnight?"

Harry stared at Ron while his brain tried to work out the implication of what Ron had just asked. "What do you mean what was I doing? I was talking to her just like she said. Have you gone mental? Do you think Ginny would lie to you? What else would we have been doing? Besides, how would you know what time we came in?" Harry glared back at Ron, having just realised that Ron hadn't been asleep after all.

Ron looked sheepish. "Sorry mate, but you've got to admit that it was kind of weird for you to be out there with her by yourself. She does have a boyfriend you know, and in case you've forgotten, we have to share a dorm with him when we get back to school. I saw the smiles and looks you two were giving each other at dinner last night. What was that all about anyway? Huh?"

Harry grinned, letting Ron know that everything was okay between them. "Honestly Ron, all we did was sit there and talk nothing else. She asked me what Sirius was like and I told her. I promise nothing else happened." Harry breathed a small sigh of relief. If Ginny hadn't already told him about Harry crying, she wasn't going to and he didn't feel any need to inform Ron of it either. "Now come on. Let's get our dusting done so we can tell the girls we finished first."

Imagining the look on Hermione's face when she realised she'd been beaten in something, Ron smiled as they went in search of dust cloths to get started. The two boys were lost in thought as they worked their way through each room. Finally Ron broke the silence and said, "You still haven't told me what those smiles and sneaky looks were all about. Are you sure there wasn't anything more going on out in the garden last night?"

Harry's shoulders slumped just a little. He should have known Ron wouldn't let it go. He was a Weasley after all, and probably the most stubborn of the lot. Harry took a deep breathe and finally said, "I have _no _idea what you're talking about. Looks? Smiles?"

Ron let out a loud laugh that sounded like "HA" and said "Don't tell me you have no idea. You're not that dense. I saw you guys touching each others' arms. Smiling and looking down so none of us would see you. I saw you looking at each other secretly the entire time and then again throughout dinner. Then you don't come back in the house until midnight with _MY SISTER _after that? What am I supposed to think?"

Now it was Harry that was laughing this time. He started coughing because his laugh had kicked up some dust on the mantle. "Ron, I swear I don't know what you're talking about. I guess I was just trying not to bust out laughing. We were setting the table and kept getting in each others' way. That's all it was. Now I actually know how you feel when you get all clumsy."

Ron's mouth fell open in shock and upset. "What do you mean when _I get all clumsy_? I do NOT." Then he saw Harry look at the mantle and watched his shoulders shake as he tried to hold in the laugh. Ron finally gave in and said "Ok. Fine. I do tend to get clumsy sometimes. So what? Guess you're not so perfect after all Mr Boy-Who-Lived." And with that they both finished up their dusting and were very excited about the possibility of beating the girls.

Finishing up Harry started to wonder. _Did I really make those stupid smiles last night? Had I really avoided eye contact with her? Why was I so clumsy? Seekers can't be clumsy. Hmpf. I don't think that is it at all. Ha ha. But then again, Ron had said that Ginny was doing the same thing. SHE certainly isn't clumsy. She is sleek and agile and reformed. She holds herself with so much grace, even when she isn't trying. Ron's probably just imagining something is going on when it isn't. Or is he?_

_~ * ~ ~ * ~_

The following morning was spent playing Quidditch in the orchard; Harry and Hermione against Ron and Ginny. Since Hermione hated flying and was dreadful at the game while Ginny was almost as good as Harry, the teams were reasonably well matched. The game ended with Ginny catching the snitch just as Mrs Weasley called them to lunch. Hungry after their game, they preoccupied themselves with eating the cold fried chicken and potato salad Mrs Weasley had left for them on the picnic table in the garden. As she served herself a slice of chocolate cake, Hermione didn't even have the energy to chastise Ron for taking a sixth piece of chicken.

It was another bright summer day and Harry decided that the weather was definitely at odds with what was going on in the wizarding world around them, but in a way it was good. Here, in the confines of the Burrow, it was easy to pretend that everything was okay and they were just four normal teenagers enjoying their last few weeks of freedom before school started.

Too tired to do much, Ron and Harry headed into the house for a couple games of chess. Hermione curled up on the porch swing with her book and Ginny stretched out on the grass with her eyes closed. Ginny debated on whether to ask for Hermione's opinion about her still-new friendship with Harry. She knew the types of questions Hermione would be bound to ask and she wasn't certain she had any answers. Besides, Hermione wouldn't hesitate to remind Ginny of Dean, as if she'd forgotten that she was supposed to have a boyfriend. Ginny frowned. Dean hadn't owled her in over a week and hadn't responded to the owl she'd sent him just a few days earlier. She didn't know if she even still had a boyfriend, but those kinds of thoughts weren't worth ruining her day.

Inside, Harry had grown bored of chess and left Ron reading his Chudley Cannons book. Wandering outside and finding Ginny dozing in the sun, he sat down near Hermione on the swing.

"Hi Harry. What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just bored. How's the book?"

"It's fine. Just doing a little summer reading for Ancient Runes." Hermione looked rueful. "Oh Harry, I'm sorry. Ginny told us how upset you were about not being able to take Potions and made me promise not to talk about school around you."

Harry looked shocked. "You, the smartest witch in our year, not talk about school? That's impossible and you know it. I'll be fine. I'll talk to Dumbledore and McGonagall when we get back; I'm sure they'll have other career suggestions that would suit me." Harry shrugged. "Besides, by the time I get done fighting Voldemort and his Death Eaters, I don't even know if I'd still want to be an Auror."

Hermione looked uncertain. Harry had told her and Ron about the prophecy the first day he arrived at the Burrow. It seemed like an awfully big task for just one person and she'd vowed to help him any way she could. She'd been waiting for a good time to bring it up with him; now seemed as good as any. "About that…I was thinking about what you said the other day. You know, about the prophecy."

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well, I just wanted you to know that I'll do whatever you need me to do Harry. I mean it. Just tell me and I'll do it. The prophecy might say that you have to be the one to kill Voldemort, but that doesn't mean you have to fight the entire battle alone."

Harry stared at Hermione in silence. All he could think about was his conversation with Ginny the day before when he'd said that Hermione or Ron would have done anything for him.

"Harry, say something." Hermione stammered nervously. He'd been quiet far longer than normal and it bothered her. _Maybe Ginny was right,_ she thought. _Maybe I shouldn't have been asking him all those questions about school. _Bothered by the fact that she could have been wrong, she tried again. "Harry."

"Huh?" Even though Ginny had been in agreement about Hermione and Ron sticking by him, it was hard for Harry to believe that they'd be there when it really mattered. But now, if Hermione was saying that she would be, perhaps it would be okay just like Ginny said it would. "I'm sorry Hermione, what were you asking just now?"

"I was just asking if everything was okay. You got real quiet all of a sudden."

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something Ginny said the other day. Thank you though, for saying that you'd be there. I know I'm not good at talking about stuff, but I really want you to know how much I appreciate your friendship and everything you do to help. You're a really special person, you know." Leaning over, Harry quickly hugged her before getting up from the swing. "I think I'm going flying for a bit. Tell Ron and Ginny to join me if they want when they wake up."

Hermione watched Harry walk away towards the broom shed, perplexed by his sudden change in behaviour. She started to wonder if something more had happened between him and Ginny than either one of them were saying.

~ * ~

Harry awoke gasping for breath, sweat drenching his body. He'd had that dream again – nightmare, really – where he was back in Department of Mysteries. Sometimes the dream was so vivid, it was as if he was really there. Most of the time though, like tonight, it was just glimpses of what had happened. Ginny, Hermione, and Luna were in the other room unconscious. Ron gasping for air as he was slowly being crushed by the brain tentacles. Neville standing strong by Harry's side, doing his best to fight with a broken and bloody nose. Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Moody, and Kingsley had arrived in time to stop the Death Eaters from getting the prophecy. Harry heard Bellatrix's gleeful cry of triumph as Tonks tumbled down the stone steps. The prophecy was smashed just as Dumbledore arrived, but nobody could hear it in the melee. And Sirius… No matter what else happened, Harry knew he'd always have nightmares about that last moment when Sirius was hit by a curse and pushed backwards through the veiled archway. Glancing at the desk, Harry saw it was almost three o'clock. Reaching for his dressing gown, he slipped out of the bedroom and headed downstairs in search of a glass of warm milk and the Chudley Cannon's book Ron was looking at earlier.

Harry entered the living room and set his milk and the handful of biscuits he'd grabbed on a small table next to the large overstuffed chair in the corner. Crossing the room, he found the book on the floor by the fireplace. Harry shook his head and smiled. Only Ron would leave one his most favourite possessions lying around. Then he remembered why Ron had discarded it so quickly. Dessert. _I don't know if this will help me sleep, but at least I won't be bored, _he thought. Curling up in the chair, he started to read. Midway through the second chapter, Harry heard a rustling sound and looked up to see Ginny standing in front of him.

"Didn't expect to see you down here," she said, curling up beside him. "So what are you doing awake?"

"Nightmare. What about you?"

"Couldn't sleep and decided I was tired of tossing and turning. Did you want to talk about it?" she asked as she reached for his glass of milk. Watching her, he decided that it would be nice to have someone to talk to about the nightmares. Maybe it would even help them go away. Harry still didn't understand why it was so easy to talk to Ginny, but he was glad that he could. "It was about that night in the Ministry. You know, the night Sirius died..."

As he finished, Harry looked away. He didn't know how Ginny would react and couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes. Ginny watched him for a few moments before looking at their entwined hands. She didn't think Harry realised that he'd reached out for her while he was talking but she wasn't going to point it out. His hands were large than hers, the skin rough from working outside at the Dursley's. His nails were ragged and torn from picking at them, one of the few bad habits he had. Her own hands were small and soft, thanks to the scented cream she used every night. Usually her nails would have been as bad as his, but tonight they had been shaped into smooth ovals and painted a pale pink frost. _It was nice, very nice,_ she thought, _to hold hands with Harry Potter._

"It'll all be okay, Harry," she told him. Somehow she knew that that was enough. "Read me some of this fascinating book you've found." Grabbing a blanket from the back of the chair, Harry settled his arm around Ginny and wrapped the blanket around them as he started to read.

As Mrs Weasley came downstairs to start breakfast, she caught a glimpse of red and black in the early dawn light. Looking closer, she saw her youngest daughter snuggled safe and warm in the arms of the boy she considered one of her own. She knew where her daughter's heart lay, and clearly those feelings were reciprocated, even if the owner wasn't aware of them. Mrs Weasley knew she should wake them, they were still very young after all, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Harry had known so little happiness in his life and she couldn't begrudge him any small bit that he could find. Leaving them to sleep, she headed into the kitchen to put on the tea. Mrs Weasley made sure to make a little more noise then normal as she took out the breakfast things. The last thing either one of them needed was for Ron to find them like that. She smiled and continued cooking.


	3. Ch 3 Captivated

**Chapter 3 – Captivated**

A few days later, Harry sat at the table picking at a piece of toast. Mrs Weasley had just reminded them that the twins, Remus, and Tonks were coming over for Sunday dinner that day. A feeling of dread filled his stomach. The twins he could probably handle, but he wasn't sure he wanted to see Remus or Tonks just yet. He hadn't seen either one of them since the night Sirius died, and he didn't think this little reunion that Mrs Weasley had innocently planned was going to go well.

Later that day, the feeling of dread he'd felt earlier that morning had been confirmed. Both Remus and Tonks had arrived mid-afternoon for dinner and cornered him, wanting to talk about Sirius. Unfortunately, Harry couldn't bring himself to talk about him yet, especially not to the two people that could possibly have cared as much for Sirius has he himself had. He was able to evade most of their questions until after dinner, when they both sat beside him and besieged him with questions. Harry decided he couldn't take it anymore. Excusing himself in order to get a glass of juice, he slipped outside and congratulated himself on a timely escape.

His exit didn't go completely unnoticed and Ginny quickly managed to slip outside after him. Knowing he'd go to the tree on the hill, she wandered out of the garden and through the field. "Hi Harry," she said, reaching the hill. She watched him closely as she sensed his mood. He was moody but not sullen, which she interpreted as a good sign. She didn't worry when he was reflective and melancholy because those are normal reactions for someone who had gone through what he had lately. It was when he started showing signs of depression that she became concerned. He'd been depressed the previous summer when he felt abandoned by everyone and it wasn't pretty. Ginny didn't have any desire to repeat the experience and had since then made it her personal endeavour to keep it from happening again.

Harry was stretched out on the soft green grass, with his arms crossed behind him to prop his head up. He could hear her soft footsteps against the leaves, could sense her presence as she approached. He looked up in acknowledgement but didn't speak; his eyes clearly said that he didn't mind her staying as long as she didn't talk. Ginny had been a steady constant over the past few days, never pushing but always there to listen if he wanted to talk. Which, oddly enough, he found himself doing more and more. He discovered that they could talk about anything and everything, no matter how silly or foolish the thought might be. He told her more about Sirius and what he knew about his parents. He told her about the accidental magic he'd done as a child and finding out he was a wizard. She told him about growing up as the only girl in a family of boys, and Weasleys at that. He wanted to tell her what was on his mind that night, about how tired he was of everyone acting like he was going to break when he wasn't. Sirius was gone and there wasn't a way to bring him back. Harry knew that Sirius had loved him, loved him every bit as much as his parents had, and so had sacrificed himself for Harry just like Mum and Dad. He wondered how many more people were going to die because of him.

Tonight though, he just wanted to lie there and think about how tired he was of it all. He was tired of people feeling sorry for him, tired of the pitying looks, tired of being told how they all understood what he was going through. If that was just from the people he considered his surrogate family, he didn't want to think what it would be like when he went back to school. _They don't understand,_ Harry thought. _How can they understand how much Sirius' death means to me when I'm not even sure that I do? How can they expect me to explain it to them when I still don't know what happened?_

Putting her own emotions in check, Ginny sat down and lightly touched his arm to let him know she was staying. She knew him well enough by now to know that he'd talk to her once he was ready, and she intended to stay right there by his side until he was.

Leaning against the tree, Ginny let her thoughts drift onto her own problems. _The biggest problem,_ she told herself, _was what to do about Dean. _After more than two weeks, he had finally owled her, but didn't bother to explain why it took so long. All he wanted to know was if she'd meet him in Diagon Alley so they could catch up while they did their school shopping. Ginny snorted. _Catch up, indeed. Dean's supposed to be my boyfriend but he sure isn't acting like one. If he was, there wouldn't be any need for them to catch up. _She hadn't responded yet, despite Hermione's admonition that she was being rude. She didn't care if she was being rude, and she wasn't sure that she even cared about him anymore. She was still trying to figure out why she'd agreed to go out with him anyway. _Oh sure, he's good-looking enough,_ she guessed, _and he can be funny and kind, but he can also be mean and pushy when he doesn't get his way. _It was hard to lie to your heart though, and Ginny knew that in her heart she always had and would love Harry. The question was whether he'd ever notice her as anything other than Ron's little sister and give _them_ a chance.

Harry looked up, ready to say something, and was caught off guard. Ginny was still sitting against the tree trunk, her arms wrapped around knees that were pulled close to her chest. Her head was tipped forward as if she had dozed off, but Harry knew she hadn't. Her position told him that she was wide awake and trying to work out some sort of situation in her head; it was the way she always sat when she had something on her mind that she wasn't sure how to deal with. _I should say something, try to help her talk it out the way she always does. What could I say that would help though? Ginny is smart and beautiful and kind and always knows the right thing to say…and I'm just me._

Changing position, Ginny looked up to see Harry watching her. _His eyes are so intense. I wonder what he's thinking about. _She was surprised when Harry continued to watch her, mesmerized, not caring that she had caught him staring.

He sensed that something about her had changed, or maybe it was something about him, he wasn't sure. For the first time, he found himself mesmerized by everything about her. _Her hair isn't bright red like Ron's; it's more like fire with lots of different colours. I wonder if it feels warm when the sunlight hits it, or if it's cool and silky like in my dreams. _He liked the way it fell long and straight down her back and around her shoulders instead of bunching up everywhere like Hermione's. With a slight catch in his breath, Harry suddenly realised that Ginny had caught him staring but he couldn't turn away. _How could I have not noticed that her eyes are the same colour as dark chocolate? _There was a quizzical look in those eyes and he wondered, not for the first time, what she was thinking.

Harry reached for her hand to tug her closer. His fingers squeezed hers as she came willingly, settling herself mere inches from him. Unable to resist any longer, he ran his fingers through her hair. _How odd that it should feel so cool when it looks so much like fire. _Running his hands down her bare arms, he felt the silky softness of her skin change into little goosebumps as he touched it. He noticed a flowery scent and tried to clear his mind enough to figure out where he knew it from. _It was her,_ he realised. That scent that had always reminded him of the Burrow whenever he smelled it, it was her. Harry closed his eyes and breathed deeply. _Apple blossoms, that's what Ginny smells like, apple blossoms mixed with her own sweetness._

Ginny wasn't sure what was happening, but whatever it was she didn't want it to stop. She hadn't missed his breath catching when she saw him watching her. Her own breathing had quickened, leaving her to wonder how long it took to hyperventilate. She relished the feel of Harry's hands running up and down her arms leaving goosebumps in their wake. He seemed fascinated by her hair, watching the strands flow through his fingers over and over again. When he first looked at her like that, she thought she would drown. She was used to bright emerald green eyes, not these dark green ones she'd never seen before. _They match his mood, full of power and passion. Is that what this is, what I'm feeling? Passion? Has he finally noticed me the way I want him to? _Ginny's eyes closed as she felt his fingers stroke her cheek. Ginny couldn't help but smile. _Of course he finally noticed me. This is how boys act when they fancy a girl. It's either that or he's possessed, and possessed he might be but it surely isn't by Voldemort._

Ginny felt Harry's fingers against the nape of her neck and his palms cupping her jaws. Brown eyes met green ones at that first hesitant touch of his lips to hers, only to close again. She said a silent thank you when she felt his lips press more firmly against her own. Running her tongue against his bottom lip, Ginny tried to gently deepen the kiss.

Harry would have laughed if he'd known how close his thoughts were to Ginny's. Feeling like a man possessed, he couldn't believe that he had actually kissed Ginny Weasley. The only other girl he'd ever kissed had been Cho Chang, and that had felt cold and awkward. _This though… kissing Ginny isn't like that. This is how it's supposed to be. _Following her lead, Harry ran his own tongue along Ginny's lip, and gasped as he felt her mouth open beneath his and her tongue meet with his own. Harry groaned. _Bloody hell. She tastes as sweet as she smells. _He could taste the pumpkin juice and elderberry pie she'd had at dinner and briefly wondered if she could taste it on him as well. Curious, Harry ran his tongue along the inside of Ginny's mouth. He felt, more than heard, Ginny moan and pulled back concerned he'd done something wrong.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked. She sounded as out of breath as he felt.

"Nothing. That was brilliant."

"Then get back here." Smiling, she laced her fingers through his hair and tugged him back down. _Mmm, now I understand what all the older girls are always talking about. If it's up to me, I want to stay here forever. _Wanting more, needing more, she knew he would follow as she stretched out on the grass. He shifted their position so his arms were around her with her head resting in his hands. Although he was mostly supporting his own weight, Ginny could still feel the weight of him as he lay against her. Instead of feeling suffocated like she had always thought she would feel, Harry made her feel safe, protected, cherished. She noticed that he'd grown over the past year and was now several inches taller than she was, her toes meeting with his shins. She giggled as she felt him shift again in order to get more comfortable. She had six older brothers and was well aware of how boys were made. She could feel him hard against her and delighted in the fact that she was the one that caused it. Ginny knew without a doubt that she loved Harry, and felt positive that he loved her back, but she also knew that with this amount of shared passion between them they had to be careful or they could easily go too far too soon.

Breaking the kiss, she snuggled her head into the crook of Harry's shoulder as she hugged him close and caught her breath.

"Wow."

"Wow?" Ginny laughed. "You practically snog my brains out and all you can say is wow?"

"Erm, yeah? Actually, I'm not sure I can think enough to say anything else."

"Oh well, that's okay then."

Harry's chest rumbled under Ginny's head as he tried unsuccessfully not to laugh. "You sound pretty pleased with yourself, you know."

She leaned up on her elbow to look at him. "Why shouldn't I?" she asked grinning. "I just snogged Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. Do you have any idea how many girls would love to be in my place right now?"

Harry looked incredulous at her declaration. "I highly doubt that many girls want to snog me. You on the other hand…"

"Oh please. I doubt any girls want to snog plain ol' Ginny Weasley." Ginny waited a moment as her words sunk in. Amused by his reaction, she started laughing again. "Harry, you're wonderful just the way you are. Whatever am I going to do with you?"

"I can think of a few things," he said, pulling her in close for another kiss. Harry felt as if a monster in his chest had been awakened; a monster only she could satisfy.

They stayed there until night fell, talking and kissing under what had become their tree. After brushing dirt and leaves from their clothes and hair, they headed back to the house hand in hand. Just before they reached the spot where candle light lit up the yard, Harry pulled Ginny into the shadows for one last lingering kiss. Somewhere along the way they had agreed to keep their new status to themselves, wanting to savour every moment they could without interference from anyone.

~ * ~

Coming in from the orchard, Harry had stopped them just on the edge of the garden for one last kiss. Letting her go in first, he sat in the porch swing trying to compose his thoughts.

He couldn't believe that he'd just spent the past few hours snogging Ginny Weasley. If he hadn't known better, he'd think that Ginny had bewitched him – well, he supposed she had in a way since she was a witch – because he hadn't intended on kissing her. Heck, he couldn't believe that she'd not only let him, but had even encouraged him to continue long past the point he would have stopped. It had been just him and Ginny laughing, talking, and kissing. Growling in contentment, he remembered how eagerly Ginny had responded to his touch. He felt like he'd known her forever, like he'd never been apart from her before. She made him feel things, experience emotions he'd never felt before, things he didn't even know existed. As the last bit of day turned into evening, Harry could hear the Weasleys talking and laughing in the living room, and wondered what they would say if they knew what he had done.

"Is everything okay, Harry?"

Harry jumped, having been so deep in his thoughts about Ginny that he wasn't aware she was standing in front of him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. You didn't come in and I was starting to get worried."

"Everything's fine, Gin. I was just thinking about earlier." He looked down, suddenly feeling too embarrassed to meet her eyes.

"Oh," she responded as her face turned pink. Ginny grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet, not letting go. "Look at me, Harry. It's okay. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I fancy you, and you fancy me. That's how it's supposed to go."

Harry felt himself drowning all over again. She still had a hold of his hands and all it took was a smile and a small tug to pull her closer. Hugging her a few minutes later, he rested his chin on her head and tucked her close to his heart.

"You're right; I'm just being a prat. Thank you for setting me straight. Now let's go inside before your brothers come out looking for us."

Stepping inside the kitchen, they found themselves greeted by Hermione, who had just walked into the room. "There you two are. I was just about to go find you. Harry, Ron wants to know if you want to play him at wizard's chess."

"Oh, okay, thanks. I'm sure he just wants a chance to clobber me again." Squeezing Ginny's hand, Harry left to find Ron.

"I'm thirsty. Want some pumpkin juice, Hermione?"

"No thanks." Hermione stood watching Ginny. "What's going on with you two?"

"What do you mean? Nothing's going on with me and Harry."

"I don't believe you. I saw you holding hands as you came in, and you looked guilty when you realised you weren't alone." Hermione crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and waited for a response.

Ginny tried to not laugh. She'd seen that look all too many times, although it was usually directed at Ron and not at her. "Hermione, nothing is going on. He was upset after dinner and I just sat there near him in case he wanted to talk, which he didn't, by the way. I was a little worried when he didn't come back in, but he was only sitting on the swing. We talked a little bit and I told him he was being a prat. Then he laughed and hugged me and thanked me for setting him straight. We came in, and you were there. End of story."

"What about when he squeezed your hand?"

Ginny sighed. She wanted to end this conversation before she ended up actually lying outright to her best friend. "It was just a friend thing, Hermione. Now can you please stop the inquisition and let's go do something fun?"

Still doubtful, Hermione walked over and poured herself a glass of juice. "Fine, I'll believe you. Come on, I'll teach you the new nail varnishing spell I just learned." As she walked towards the stairs, she looked over her shoulder with a knowing grin. "Oh, and Ginny? Next time you might want to make sure you get all the leaves out of your hair, okay?"

~ * ~

Ginny lay in bed surrounded by the pink and white pillows her mother had made to compliment her room. She closed her eyes and wished for her room to be green. She opened her eyes and looked around. Nope, it was still pink. Ginny hated pink. Sure, it was fine when she was a little girl, but she was almost fifteen now and she didn't want a pink room anymore. However, her mum loved pink and thought every girl should have a pink room, so Ginny didn't have the nerve to ask for permission to redecorate.

Fluffing her pillow, Ginny pulled the blankets up higher and tried her best to fall asleep. It was well after midnight, and she'd been tossing and turning ever since Hermione had fallen asleep. The problem though, was that her mind didn't want to go to sleep and therefore she couldn't either.

She smiled as she thought yet again about the evening's events. _Her plan to follow Harry after dinner was innocent enough; she was only going to sit there and be ready to listen if he needed someone to talk to again. It was a routine they fell into after that first night out in the garden, and they both looked forward to their moments alone when they could talk openly and honestly with each other. Sitting there lost in her thoughts, she was surprised to find Harry watching her, and even more surprised that he had reached out for her instead of turning away. Her heart raced as she recalled every little detail about The Kiss. It might seem silly and childish, but a kiss that monumental, that breathtaking and exhilarating deserved to be thought about in capitals. _

She remembered the first time she'd kissed Michael Corner last year. _They had both been clumsy and slightly embarrassed, not sure where noses and lips and hands should go. Harry's kiss wasn't like that though. There was no awkwardness, no fumbling of body parts or embarrassment afterward. He had been shy at first, almost hesitant, as if he was unsure of her reaction. It had taken very little encouragement on her part for him to continue the kiss, and when he did pull away, she had felt him smiling as she pulled him back towards her. Snogged senseless indeed,_ Ginny thought with a smile. _They'd both been breathless by the time they fell to the ground, their bodies pressed against each other. _She felt her skin heat at the memory of it. _It hadn't felt like that with Michael either. Sure, she'd felt him grow hard against her sometimes when they snogged, but it always ended with her giggling while he tried to shift away from her. It certainly didn't feel comfortable or natural, like it had with Harry, almost as if his body was made for hers. Someday,_ she thought, still filled with the warmth she'd started to associate with Harry. _If this evening was any indication of what our future holds, there will definitely be a someday._

Ginny was glad Hermione was asleep and couldn't see the silly smile she had plastered on her face, or the way she couldn't help but hug herself in excitement. She'd never buy into the "just friends" routine if she had. As Ginny drifted off to sleep, embracing her dreams of _someday_, she had completely forgotten the pressing issue that was on her mind before The Kiss. She had forgotten about her boyfriend.


	4. Ch 4 Decisions

**Chapter 4 – Decisions**

It was just another Friday night at the Weasley house. Fred and George had Apparated over to the Burrow, so Ron and Harry jumped at the chance to talk them into a little pick-up game of Quidditch. The girls were sitting on the wall watching the boys finish up yet another game, flying this way and that on their brooms. It seemed like hours ago that Hermione had left Mrs Weasley's comfortable kitchen with her book in hand. Surprisingly, or maybe not, she found herself more interested in the game then in her heavy tome. Maybe she just wasn't in the mood to read anymore? That _couldn't_ be it. _No_, she thought. If she was being honest with herself she would have to admit that it wasn't her lack of interest in reading or her sudden increase in interest for the game of Quidditch, it was her interest in that fiery red-headed keeper over there at the other end of the pitch.

"Hermione!"

Tearing her eyes away from Ron, she turned at the sound of her name.

"You promised you'd help but you haven't listened to a word I've said."

"Sorry Gin. I was…distracted."

Ginny huffed. "I still don't understand what you see in my brother. He's a prat."

Hermione glanced towards the Quidditch pitch before focusing on Ginny. "So says the girl that's been in love with Harry Potter for most of her life. What was it you wanted my help with? It can't be Harry; you've gotten pretty chummy with him this summer and don't need my help for that."

"Oh Hermione, don't start please. I didn't ask for help with Harry; how many times do I have to tell you that we're just friends? What I need is help with Dean."

"Dean? What wrong with him? Aren't you still going out?"

"Yes, but that's the problem!"

Hermione listened as Ginny began to explain how distant Dean had been all summer.

"He goes weeks without answering any of my letters, and then last week he –"

Ginny jumped down from the wall and started pacing through the grass as she continued to rant. Her hair was sticking out at odd angles from tugging on it, and it looked every bit as wild and frustrated as she felt. Hermione thought about it but decided it might be better to let her rant. She had no desire to be on the receiving end of one of Ginny's infamous hexes. If Ginny's temper was any indication though, Dean might not be so lucky.

"– five, Hermione! FIVE MORE LETTERS! What is his problem? He doesn't write me for weeks at a time and now he acts like there's nothing wrong! Oh, and today – why, if he thinks I'm meeting him in Diagon Alley after today, he's crazy!"

Hermione decided that enough was enough. Ginny's normally quiet voice had gotten louder with every word. If she didn't calm down soon the boys were going to hear her. While Ron and Harry shared a dorm with Dean at school and generally considered him a friend, they wouldn't hesitate to get revenge for hurting Ginny. Walking up to her friend, she grasped Ginny by the shoulders to stop her pacing.

"Ginny. Stop. Listen to me. You have to calm down."

Ginny pulled away and resumed her pacing. "Hermione let me go. I don't want to calm down. Ooh! When I get my hands on him…How dare he treat me this way?"

"Gin. Ginny! GINNY! You have to quiet down before Ron and Harry come to see what's wrong!"

Ginny stopped in her tracks. Hermione hardly ever yelled at anyone, and when she did it was usually at Ron. For her to be yelling at Ginny, that was not a good thing. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to calm down as slowly crossed over to where Hermione stood.

"No. Not Harry. Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away, huh?"

"Just a little, but it's okay. I understand you're angry. Come on; come sit back down and let's see what we can figure out." She led Ginny back the wall and waited until they got comfortable.

"Yes, he was a prat and ignored you all summer, but hexing Dean isn't the answer. Have you answered any of his letters?"

"No. If he could ignore me, I was going to ignore him back."

Hermione tried not to laugh. "Oh that's real mature."

Ginny looked sheepish. "It's just – how could he do this to me Hermione? How could he ask me to be his girlfriend and then just ignore me like that? He only wants me to meet up with him so everyone can see us together."

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Honestly Gin. Are you going to meet up with him?"

Ginny was silent before answering. "I don't know yet. Harry…well, Harry and I are friends now and maybe – maybe it could be more. You know I'd like that, but he won't want more if he thinks I'm with Dean. But how…" She sighed. "I don't know Hermione! I don't know whether I want to meet him; I don't even know what to say to him! Even worse, I know Harry's going to ask me what's wrong and I don't know what to say to him either. He'll only go tell Ron what I said and you KNOW how Ron gets."

She looked to Hermione with tears in her eyes. "Hermione, what do I do? Just tell me what I should do to make this all right and I'll do it."

Hermione groaned. _Why this? She was honoured that Ginny would come to her for help, but why this? Of all the possible things Ginny could ask of her, she asks her for help with her love life. As if Hermione would know what to do when the one boy she fancied didn't even know she was a girl._

"I don't know, Gin. I'm sorry, but I just don't know. I think first you need to decide if you want to be with Dean or not. Once you decide that, it'll be easier to decide what to do next."

Before Ginny could respond, they heard the boys coming towards them. She hastily wiped her face, hoping no one would notice she'd been crying.

~ * ~

As they rounded the corner, Ginny saw Fred and George slapping each other on the back and congratulating themselves on a job well done. From the look of disgust on Ron's face, the twins must have won the game. He sauntered past them without a glance in their direction.

Ginny leaned towards Hermione. "Ron looks like he could use some comforting, don't you think?" she whispered with a grin.

Hermione looked perplexed, then opened her eyes wide as Ginny's words sunk in. "Oh, yes, I do. Thanks Gin!" She shouted his name as she raced to catch up to him.

"Sorry you didn't win. Was it bad?"

Ron gave her a strange look. Hermione hated Quidditch. He wondered what she was up to. "290 to 40 in an hour. An hour, can you believe that?" Ron sighed. "Harry might be a great Seeker but he makes a lousy Chaser."

Hermione laughed. "It could have been worse. It could have been me," she said with a bright smile. "Come on. The twins will be leaving soon. Let's go say goodbye and then I'll let you beat me at chess."

Wondering again what she was up to – because she was always up to something – he raced her to the house.

~ * ~

Ginny sat on the garden wall, watching Harry as he crossed the yard towards the shed. She smiled, hoping that he had offered to store the brooms in order to have an excuse to linger behind.

Locking the shed, Harry caught Ginny watching him and grinned. He was certain she was waiting for him, knowing that he had needed an excuse not to go inside with the others. Catching her up around the waist, he picked her up and held her tightly against him as he kissed her. He felt the monster in his chest purr as she eagerly responded. Pulling away to catch his breath, he noticed her tear-streaked face.

"Ginny, you've been crying. What's wrong?"

"Nothing…It's no big deal, Harry."

"Anything that makes you cry is definitely a big deal. Come on. Let's go somewhere private that we can talk."

They were quiet as they walked out of the garden towards their tree. Harry was apprehensive. Ginny didn't usually cry, so for her to be crying – and especially in front of Hermione – something was wrong, really wrong. He couldn't think of anything in the past few days that would have caused Ginny to cry but hoped it wasn't him. He couldn't remember doing or saying anything that would have made Ginny upset with him, although he knew from watching Ron and Hermione that it didn't usually matter what a bloke thought he'd done. Things had been awkward between them for a bit last week, but they'd worked things out since then and everything had been fine. Unless…

A sudden fear gripped Harry's heart. _What if Ginny had finally come to her senses and she'd changed her mind about them? No, oh please Merlin, no. Please don't let her have changed her mind. I'm just getting to know her better, I _want_ to know her better, be with her. _Harry found himself rejecting those thoughts. There was no way that was what was bothering her. It just couldn't be. He watched her as she ducked under the tree limbs and knelt to sit on the soft grass. _I don't know what it is, but whatever it is, we'll work it out together. Even if it takes all night._

As they walked, Ginny could feel the tension in Harry's body next to her. He was wound up like a top ready to be let go. The only problem was that she didn't know which way he'd go. She didn't want to tell him about Dean. Anything but that. _Did he even remember she was dating Dean? _No, probably not. Not the way she'd acted all summer, carefree and wild and – Oh no! What if she told Harry and he thought her a slag? She couldn't really blame him if he did. Dating one boy and kissing another under starry skies. She wondered if that was enough to make her a slag. Maybe not by itself but if Harry had any idea of the dreams she'd been having about him, well, that probably was enough to make her a slag. _Bloody hell. What am I going to say? How am I going to tell him? I can't bear it if he thinks badly of me. I've loved him all my life and now that we finally just might have a chance, I had to go bollocks it up._

Ginny felt his eyes on her as she settled herself on the ground. She spent an extraordinary amount of time getting comfortable, fidgeting this way and that, anything to postpone the inevitable.

"Gin-"

"Harry, I-"

They smiled at each other, Harry motioning for Ginny to go on.

_The best way to do this is to just spit it out, Ginny girl. _"Harry, I got an owl from Dean today. He wants me to meet him in Diagon Alley this weekend so we can catch up before school starts."

Harry was perplexed. Dean? Dean Thomas? What did Dean have to do with anything?

"Ginny, I don't think I understand. What does Dean have to do with you being upset?"

"Oh Harry, don't you see? He's my boyfriend. I told him at end of term that I would go out with him but I've barely heard from him all summer. And then you…we…oh bugger!"

Ginny threw her head down on her knees, sobbing, effectively shielding her face with her hair. She didn't know what to say or what to do. How was she supposed to explain all this to him anyway? Oh, how she wished Hermione was here! Hermione could surely explain it better than she ever could!

Harry reached towards Ginny, pulling his hand back. _Maybe it's not a good idea to touch her. Maybe she does regret it. Maybe she'd rather be with Dean than with me._

They sat in silence for quite some time, each lost in thought, trying to figure out the best solution for their problem.

"Ginny." Harry reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind one ear. "Ginny, look at me. Please."

Ginny looked up, her face red and blotchy from crying so much.

"I am so sorry Gin. I forgot about Dean. I guess part of me wanted to think that you had broken up with him since you didn't talk about him much."

"No Harry, there's no need to apologize. It's my fault. I knew I had a boyfriend, but…well… I – I mean…" Ginny groaned. _It was now or never…_ "Harry, what I'm trying to say is that I wanted to be with you so much, I always have, and I just didn't care if I had a boyfriend or not." Ginny looked away, hidden beneath the flaming redness that Harry loved so much. "You must think I'm such a slag."

"What?!" Harry was outraged. "Ginevra Weasley, don't you EVER call yourself a slag again, do you hear me? Because you're not. You have never been one and you never could be. It's just not in you to be like that. Now Lavender…yeah, I could see her being one in a few years, but not you. Never you."

Ginny closed her eyes briefly as she felt Harry's hand caress her cheek. Opening them, she saw the truth of his words mirrored in his eyes and felt a small glimmer of hope that maybe everything would be okay.

Harry sighed. At least now he knew what had upset her, but how to tell her that he wanted this too?

"I meant what I said Ginny. I did forget you were with Dean. And I wouldn't have kissed you if I had remembered. Dean's one of my mates and I would never have kissed his girl on purpose. But Ginny, I can't – no, I won't – deny that the other day when we were here, I wanted to kiss you so very much. Even if I had remembered you were with Dean, it would have been very hard to resist kissing you."

This time Harry ducked his head away, partly in embarrassment at his sudden confession, partly not wanting Ginny to know just how much he'd come to rely on her friendship.

Ginny sat up off the tree as Harry looked away. She couldn't grasp the words he had just spoken. Not with her ears. She needed to see them with her own eyes. She wanted to look into those emerald green eyes of his to see what they would tell her. She needed to see it with her heart.

She placed a shaky hand on his shoulder. "Harry?" Her voice was so low, hardly above a whisper. He didn't move. She ran her hand across his neck and up into his hair. He still wouldn't look at her. She inched closer to him and put her other hand on his cheek to turn him to her. "Harry…I think that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Placing soft kisses along his lips, she waited, hoping he would respond. She didn't have to wait long.

Reaching for her, Harry crushed her into his chest as he deepened the kiss. He parted her lips with his own, his tongue meeting hers in a battle that left her breathless. _He sure learns fast_, Ginny thought, pleased that she had the privilege of teaching him to snog properly. She knotted her hands in his hair, relishing in the silky blackness of it. It was so dark, darker than a raven actually, if that was even possible. She growled softly as he pulled away.

"Shhh," he whispered. He leaned back against the tree and pulled her onto his lap, arms encircling her slim body, his hands threading their way into her long hair.

She felt a gentle tug on her hair as he guided her face towards his own. Emerald met chocolate, neither one wanting to be the first to look away.

"Ginevra – "

She shuddered at the guttural way he said her full name. _As long as he says it like that, he can call me Ginevra anytime. _She smiled at him, encouraging him to continue.

"Ginevra, I just want you to know. This... this thing between us, whatever it is, or wherever it leads, I want it. I want it, Ginny. I want you." With that, he tugged again on her hair, tilting her head backwards so he could better reach the creamy skin beneath.

He kissed her ear, finding a soft spot just behind it that made her shiver with delight. He moved downward, trailing little kisses along her neck, making his way to her almost-bare shoulder. Harry appreciated the fact that, like every other day that summer, she was wearing a tank top. It wasn't daring by any means but it left little to the imagination of what was underneath. He let his fingers toy with the straps of her top, as both lips and hands caressed her shoulders, neck, arms.

She felt a flutter of kisses pepper her jaw line, moaning in delight at the sensations Harry was causing. _Oh my… I never knew it could be like this. This is all moving too fast but Merlin! Oh – I hope he never stops *that*._

_That_, as Ginny so eloquently described, was first Harry's lips, then his tongue, as it delved into the hollow of her throat. She moaned softly, instinctively arching into the hand that was trailing up and down her spine.

Her hands were clutching his t-shirt, fingernails almost digging into his skin, but he didn't care. This was brilliant. The feel of her skin against his, her hair gliding over his arm as she leaned backwards in response to his kisses. The overwhelming scent of her. She was soft and sweet and he knew that he would never be able to smell apples again without remembering this moment. Pulling her close again, he kissed her hard on the mouth before pulling away.

"Gin – this is…this is brilliant, but we still have to decide what to do about Dean."

Ginny groaned. _Why oh why did he have to bring him up again? Why can't we just keep snogging and forget everyone else even exists? _She opened her eyes to find Harry watching her, nervously waiting for her reaction. Sitting up a little more, she straightened her shirt where it had ridden up at the waist and then rearranged herself so she could rest her head on Harry's chest.

"I know, you're right, we do. Or rather, I do. It's my problem to fix so don't you worry about it."

"No Ginny. I said we were in this together and I meant it. Besides, your decision affects me too in case you already forgot." He leaned down to sprinkle quick kisses from her forward to her lips before sitting back against the tree. "So what's the first problem to solve? You said he owled you about meeting him Saturday?"

"Yeah, earlier today. He knows we always go school shopping the first Saturday in August, so he wants me to meet him for ice cream when I'm done. But Harry, I don't want to go. I don't want to meet him. I don't even want to be with him anymore."

Harry could tell she was nervous based on how fidgety she was. "Umm, Gin, can you please sit still? You're…I'm…well, you know…" he stammered, his face flushed with heat as he vaguely motioned towards his lap. He watched her eyes widen momentarily before a slight smirk settled on those luscious lips of hers.

Oh Merlin. This was not working well. He couldn't concentrate on anything but her in his lap, never mind the problem at hand.

Lifting her gently off his lap and onto the grass, he put his arm around her and pulled her snugly to his shoulder. "There, that'll have to do until we get this situation resolved and can go back to things that don't require so much thought."

Ginny revelled in the safety and comfort she felt curled up beside Harry as they listed the issues at hand and went through them one by one, talking each one out until it was satisfactorily resolved. It was late by the time they headed in but she was warmed with the secret knowledge that she and Harry were finally together at last.


	5. Ch 5 The Perfect Gift

**Chapter 5 – The Perfect Gift**

_Thud…_

_Bump…_

_Bang…_

"Bloody Hell! That thing is a menace!"

Harry shot up out of bed at the commotion, blood rushing to his head as he was jolted up out of a deep sleep. He winced when the bright, morning sun almost blinded him.

_Grrr. It's too early to be awake._

Harry slumped back down into the comfortable bed. He snuggled into his pillow and pulled the worn blanket over his head to block the light. He could see visions of Ginny lying on the grass, smiling up at him as he drifted closer to sleep. The goofy, love-struck grin was quickly removed from his face when he heard Ron's bedroom door squeak open.

"Get out of here you big hairball. I've had enough pain for one morning thanks to you!"

With that, Harry heard something heavy bouncing off the wall and down the stairs. In the distance he could hear a cat growling in contempt.

_Guess I won't be going back to sleep anytime soon._

"Good mornin' there, Ron? Don't let Hermione hear you talking like that to Crookshanks."

"I don't care! That thing about killed me. I swear it was trying to trip me and make me fall down the stairs on purpose. That thing hates me!"

"I'd have to agree with you mate, but it's too early to start that big of a row. Besides, you know you'll never get a moment's peace _OR _help with another assignment if you do."

"You've got a point mate."

Harry couldn't help but laugh as Ron started sniffing the air, his stomach letting out a very loud growl. That's Ron alright. Doesn't matter what time of day it is, he's _always_ hungry.

"Mum's cooking. Come on! Let's get some food!"

Harry threw the blankets off of him and was on Ron's heels all the way to the kitchen. Mrs Weasley bustled over and gave each of them a big hug.

"Breakfast is almost ready. Happy Birthday, Harry dear," she said as she moved back to the stove to continue her routine juggling act of cooking for so many people. "Would you like to open your gifts now or wait until after dinner?"

Ron clapped Harry on the back and said "Happy Birthday, Harry! I almost forgot."

Harry heard him muttering something about a stupid cat under his breath and smiled."

"After dinner please. Thank you, Mrs Weasley; you too, Ron. Thanks too for breakfast."

"Tsk, tsk. No worry dear. Now tuck in and eat before it gets cold."

That was all Ron needed to hear as he started heaping his plate with rashers of bacon, eggs, sausage, and toast. All you could hear coming from Ron was the scraping of his fork on the plate, along with the occasional groan or deep breath. Mrs Weasley had gone back to the stove to continue cooking, occasionally glancing over her shoulder to see if the others were coming downstairs yet.

Harry sat in happy silence. He couldn't believe that he found himself spending another birthday at the Burrow. _I would love to be able to spend every birthday for the rest of my life here, especially if Ginny was there. _He did have to admit that this was the closest thing to a real home he had, and his only real family, now that Sirius was gone. _This is what fighting Voldemort and finishing this war once and for all is about. To make sure the entire Wizarding World has this to look forward to._

~ * ~

Ginny and Hermione were chattering as they bounced into the kitchen. They sat down at the far end of the table whispering, Hermione sneaking side glances in Harry's direction. Mrs Weasley fussed over the girls to make sure they were eating. Hermione managed to get her attention and started whispering to her. Mrs Weasley glanced down the table at Harry, grinned and nodded her head.

"If you lot are almost done with breakfast, I have some chores I need you boys to take care of for me today."

"What about them, Mum?" Ron asked as he nodded toward his sister and other best friend.

"They'll be helping me with other chores. Don't you worry about that, Ronald. Now I need you two to clean out the broom shed, de-gnome the garden…"

"Again?!? But we just did that last week!"

"Yes dear, I know, but it needs to be done _again_. You know how those gnomes are. I'll also need you to make sure the lawn is cut and watered. A few people are coming over for dinner and cake tonight so no playing around and do it properly."

_A few people are coming over? I know what Mrs Weasley's "few people" means. _"Mrs Weasley. That isn't necessary. You don't have to go through the trouble of a party for me. I don't mind. Really I don't."

"That's just nonsense Harry. We are having dinner and cake in the yard. Just close family and friends. It'll be fun. Just you wait and see."

Harry knew better then to argue any further. He would not win this one, especially with Mrs Weasley already set on it. Ron, on the other hand, didn't seem to accept defeat when he should have. His mouth dropped open to say something, but before he could, he was being pushed out of his chair and out of the kitchen.

"Go upstairs and get changed. If you want to be finished before dinner you'll need to start now. No arguments, Ronald, just go!"

Both boys trudged up the stairs in silence. Once they got into the bedroom they changed and headed back downstairs.

"Where do you want to start first?" Harry asked.

"Let's start with the lawn. While it's watering we can de-gnome the garden. Those pesky little things really don't like the water."

"OK. Let's get going then." Harry said and with that they set out to start the chores.

~ * ~

Back inside Hermione looked out the kitchen door to make sure the boys were busy before they started planning again.

"The coast is clear. Now, Ginny, Mrs Weasley, what are we going to do about the cooking?"

Ginny started talking rapidly, "I was thinking of making Harry some treacle biscuits. They're so much easier than the tarts he loves so much and Mum doesn't have to help. Mum has all of the other food planned out already, don't you, Mum?"

"I sure do. We're having all of Harry's favourites and your father is going to pick up the cake on his way home from work."

Hermione stared at the table, obviously stuck in deep thought, mind turning quickly. She asked, "How many people are coming, Mrs Weasley? Will we have enough seating, place settings, food, drinks… Am I forgetting anything?"

Mrs Weasley just stood there laughing and shaking her head while Ginny stared at her best friend. "Honestly, Hermione! Sometimes you forget that you are a witch." With that they all started laughing.

~ * ~

A few hours passed before the boys came inside for lunch. They had already cut the grass, de-gnomed the garden and finished watering the yard. As far as they knew, they only had to clean the broom shed out and make sure the lake was clean. That last chore had been added by Mrs Weasley, loudly through the kitchen window, when she realised how far along the boys were and how soon they would be done and in her hair. She didn't want Harry to know what they were planning and she knew Ron wouldn't help them keep it secret.

As the boys sat down at the table, they noticed the girls were busy with chopping, cutting, rolling, poking, and who knows what else to all of the items on the countertops. Mrs Weasley wouldn't let them cook with magic – they were underage, after all – so they had to do it the Muggle way. Hermione had shown Ginny how to do it and, with only a few tiny cuts to her fingertips, she was soon underway. The boys ate in silence before heading back into the yard to finish up their work.

The sun was starting to set by the time all four had finished up. Mrs Weasley sent them upstairs to get cleaned up, telling them she had one more thing for them to do before they could start having fun. She received quite a few eye rolls, but the kids marched upstairs like they were told. None of them wanted to cross Mrs Weasley at the moment.

~ * ~ ~ * ~

Ron was the first one in and out of the shower. He had seen his brothers starting to arrive and he wanted to hurry down and see them. His poor excuse was that he was going to try and talk them into playing Quidditch after dinner. Harry knew that was only half of it, at least the only half Ron would admit to. What he wouldn't admit to was that he really did miss them. Harry smiled as he walked off towards the bathroom.

Harry turned on the water until it was as hot as his skin could take it. He took off his glasses and then stepped in. The water beating down on his neck and shoulders felt heavenly. It wasn't hard work what they had been doing, but it was tough and physical. He closed his eyes and put his elbow on the shower wall to hold him up. _I could stay in here for hours. This is relaxing. _Harry let his mind wander. A smile twitched at the sides of his mouth. _Ginny, _Harry thought. _Today just wasn't the same without her being there_.

Lately it seemed their _Trio_ had turned into a _Quartet or 'Fearless Foursome'_. All because of Ginny. Things had changed. _Her being around isn't the same as it was before. She's not trying to 'tag along with Ron'. She's not trying to stalk me. She's not trying to force a sister out of Hermione. __She truly fits in. It's where she belongs. With me…__Did I really just think that? It couldn't be that. We've only just started being more open, honest, serious with one another. She has a boyfriend. We talked about that before. She doesn't know how to break things off with Dean. She wanted that even before I got to the Burrow. Would she really be with me if she wasn't with Dean? Could we really be together? It all goes back to that kiss. Back to that beautiful, wonderful, private kiss. Kisses. That's more like it. It surely wasn't just one._

Harry turned around in the shower so the water could fall onto his face. It didn't matter though. Not even the water could stop his smile. Every time he thought of Ginny, of that _kiss _he couldn't help it. It seemed like she was the only thing he needed to survive in this world. _That and to have Voldemort as plant food, buried in the ground. That time will come though. It's not like I have a choice anyway. _Harry's smile turned into a scowl. Voldemort was now interrupting his dreams of the future.

_**For neither can live while the other survives…**__It always comes back to this, doesn't it? _That's enough of this kind of thinking, back to Ginny. Harry finished his shower with a love-struck grin still on his face, and made his way downstairs.

~ * ~

Hermione peeked out of the bedroom door and saw Ron go into the bathroom first. She turned to Ginny and asked "Mind if I go first? I want to talk your Mum about a few things before Harry gets down there."

"Sure, go ahead. I still have to pick out something to wear anyway." With that she turned back to her closet, staring through it rather than at it.

"Thanks," Hermione squealed as she grabbed her items and ran into Ginny's bathroom. She was in and out of the shower so fast she found Ginny still standing in the same spot. Hermione managed to deal with her unruly hair in record time as well. She ran out of the bedroom without even giving a second glance to Ginny. _She's just thinking about Harry. No need to interrupt her. I'm sure we'll have to time to chat about it before bed._

Hermione was right. Ginny was standing in front of her closet, staring at nothing in particular, thinking of Harry. _I can't wear that. That's too "little girlish". I can't wear that either – it's a bit overdressed. Too tomboyish. Too revealing. Too small. Too boring._

Ginny gave a frustrated sigh and stomped off into the bathroom, wondering when it became so difficult to pick out clothes. She hadn't had that much trouble all summer. It couldn't only be because of Harry. _No. It's because it's Harry's birthday. It's because of the _Kiss. _It's because of the talk. _Harry said he understood about Dean, why she was crying and upset and confused. He said that he wouldn't have done it if he had remembered that she was with Dean. He also told her that he had wanted to kiss her very much and it would have been very hard not to have kissed her had he remembered Dean. _He said he wanted to regardless. _He just wouldn't have done that to Dean on purpose. _He doesn't think I'm a slag either. That's a major plus. _And with that she laughed to herself.

Ginny stepped into the shower and let the hot water hit her. She had been working so hard in the kitchen to try and make Harry's party perfect. She didn't want to go overboard, but she wanted to make sure he knew how much she wanted him to enjoy it. _This water feels good. I didn't think cooking could be this hard on your body. _Ginny's muscles were tense and felt worn out, like they did after a Quidditch match. She let the water pound her muscles and ease the tension. As she stood there, staring at the shower floor, her thoughts drifted back to Harry. _He seemed so nervous when we talked about Dean. _He had been so comforting though. _He always knows the right things to say._

They had talked about her being with Dean when they shared the _kiss. _They talked about how she didn't want to be with Dean, but didn't know how to tell him without hurting him. She tried to get him to realise that she wanted this – whatever this was – before the two of them had gotten so close. _I'm still not sure he believes me. He said he did, but I just don't know. I want to believe *him* but I…grrr._

She knew he didn't like to see her in that state. She couldn't help it. She just couldn't keep the tears from falling. _I didn't want him to see me like that. I must have looked the right mess. _If she had, Harry surely didn't seem to notice, or maybe he just didn't say anything. It seemed like his main concern was making sure she was alright. _He's always been my protector. _They had sat and talked for hours. By the time they finally come back into the house, he had her laughing at some of the crazy things Sirius had told him about, stories involving the _Marauder's_. Harry always liked those stories, especially since Sirius was always careful enough to keep that _rat_ out of them.

Ginny smiled as she turned off the water and finally stepped out of the shower. She got dressed and was halfway down the stairs before she turned around and ran back into her room. She flopped down on the floor and pulled a box out from under her bed. _I almost forgot about his present. _She opened the plain box and took out four plain looking notebooks. She had charmed them to be similar to Riddle's diary. She shivered at that thought. _At least one good thing came out of that whole mess. Well, two good things actually. One was that Harry had started his job as "Ginny's Protector." The other was the idea for these notebooks._

The notebooks looked very plain from the outside. They looked more like date books, agendas or doodling papers. She had charmed the notebooks to be legible only to the reader. What was written in one would appear in the other person's notebook. She remembered when Harry first showed them to them. He said he found them in the closet of his, or rather Dudley's second, bedroom. He said he didn't know what he could use them for, but if he ever ran out of parchment again they might come in handy. _He was certainly right. I hope he doesn't mind that I took them and changed them up a bit._

She had thought long and hard before doing this. She was _hoping_ to use them to talk to Harry throughout the day when they returned to Hogwarts. She wanted them to be able to keep up with their talks and stuff, but knew it would be hard in the busy common room. She also knew that Harry wouldn't talk as much, or as openly, to her when Ron and Hermione were around. _Maybe this is just what he needs to not sink back in to that sulking and depressing mode._

Ginny ran her hand over the leather cover and sat back on her feet. She couldn't have gone to Mum or Dad for help. They, well Mum anyway, would probably have asked too many questions and she didn't want that. She couldn't go to Ron or Hermione because that would defeat the purpose. It would have been perfect to go to the twins, but she couldn't do that either. She knew them well enough to know that they would have figured out some kind of loophole to allow them to read the notebooks at their leisure and that was one of the _last things _she wanted. In the end she decided to talk to Tonks.

Tonks might have been an adult, she might even have been an Auror and an authority figure, but it didn't matter. She was fun. She was a romantic at heart and she was bloody great with charms. _Tonks was perfect!! I owe her big for these!! _With that thought she put them back into the box, shrunk them and then placed them into the pocket of her jeans. She would wait until they were alone to give him his present. _I don't know how he will react so I'd rather we be alone. That way I'll get an honest reaction out of him. _With that, she bounced down the stairs to join the fun.

~ * ~ ~ * ~

The party was starting to wind down a few hours later. Everyone was stuffed with the wonderful food that Mrs Weasley and the girls, although mostly Mrs Weasley, had cooked up. They had eaten cake, played Quidditch, joked around and had an all around good time.

"Harry, dear, it's time to open your presents," called Mrs Weasley.

"If it's alright with you I'd rather open them later. I'm too stuffed and too tired to do anything else right about now." As he said that he patted his stomach and gave a contented smile.

"Fine. Fine. Have it your way. If that's what you really want I'll just head off to bed. I'm beat too. Coming, Arthur?"

"Yes, dear. I'm right behind you. Everyone, make sure you clean up after yourselves and don't get into too much trouble."

"Yes, Dad. You got it, Mr Weasley. Good night, Mr and Mrs Weasley." The adults waved the young group off as they walked into the house arm-in-arm.

Hermione decided she was going to go inside and read a little. The twins said they needed to get going because they had to be at the shop bright and early tomorrow morning. Remus and Tonks had left about an hour earlier, as did Charlie. Bill wasn't able to make it and Percy probably wasn't invited. Mrs Weasley had stayed true to her word and only kept it to very close family and friends. She hadn't invited any kids from school or professors.

When most everyone had Apparated away, Hermione noticed Ginny getting fidgety. She walked over to Ginny and sat down, leaning in close so they could talk without anyone overhearing them.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I guess so."

"What is it, Ginny? Are you not feeling well?"

"No, no. It's not that. I feel fine. I'm just, well, I'm just a little nervous."

"Nervous about what?"

"Harry's present. I want to give it to him. I just don't want to do it in front of anyone."

"Well everyone is leaving so it'll be ok."

"No it's not. Ron wants to play Wizard's Chess or Exploding Snap with Harry. See? He's talking to him about it right now. If I try to stop them Ron will tease me about it for ages."

"Don't worry about Ron. I'll take care of him." She winked at Ginny and started walking over towards the boys. She put her hand gently on Ron's shoulder and said, "Ron, I need your help with something. Could this wait a little bit?"

"Can't it wait until we're done here? I'm trying to get Harry to play chess with me."

"Honestly, Ronald! I can see that. Do you really think Harry wants to get beat, yet again, by you on his birthday of all days?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Hermione," Harry said with mock contempt.

"You know it's true. I'm just trying to save you the pain."

"She's got a point Ron. Why don't we play later? It'll give me more time to think of excuses to avoid it."

Ron sighed, trying to fight back a grin. "Fine. Whatever. But you owe me one. If she wants my help with something, it probably involves books, and you're gonna get it!"

Ginny mouthed "thank you" to Hermione as she took Ron's arm and led him into the house. Ron on the other hand was scowling at Harry and mouthing "You PRAT" as he was dragged away.

Ginny walked over and grabbed Harry's hand.

"Where are we going?"

"Out to the pond to sit under the tree. I want to give you your birthday present."

"You didn't have to get me anything, Ginny."

"I know I didn't. But I wanted to make sure you had something from me. Don't go worrying yourself sick, Potter! I didn't buy you anything. I actually nicked it from you!"

"I swear you are becoming more and more like Fred and George every day!"

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now sit so you can open it up."

They both sat down under the tree and Ginny took the present from her pocket. She used her wand to turn it back to its normal size then handed it to Harry. He took the box and opened it up.

_Notebooks. She is spending way too much time with Hermione. That woman is corrupting my Ginny. _He looked up at her and saw frown lines working their way down her forehead. _Shite. _He hadn't said anything and she must have known what he was thinking.

"Thank you, Ginny. I nicked these from Dudley, you nicked them from me and now they're my present. Aren't you one resourceful witch?"

"Prat! It's not the notebooks that are my present to you. It's what they can do now."

Harry turned them over and back again and flipped through the pages. They looked the same as when he took them.

"I don't see anything different."

"I swear. Boys are so dense sometimes." She said, taking a notebook from him for herself. Then she reached into the box and took out two Muggle pens of Hermione's that she had found. She handed one to Harry. "These are much more practical out here then ink and quills."

Harry nodded dumbly. "You're right I suppose."

"Now open your notebook and watch."

Ginny opened her notebook and wrote:

_Dear Harry,_

_I hope you had a wonderful birthday. Maybe if you're good I'll give you a birthday kiss._

_Ginny_

Harry looked at his book and nothing happened. Once Ginny signed her name words started to appear in Harry's book. He read it to himself and laughed.

"If I'm good, huh?"

"That's right, Potter. Now do you understand?"

"What else can they do?"

"Well, when you write to someone else that has the book it will appear in their notebook when you're done writing. That is why you have to say who it is supposed to go to and who it's from. I know it's silly but that is the only way we could get it to work properly. I took four books so Ron and Hermione could have one too if you wanted."

"That's wicked! Can other people besides us see what is written?"

"Now you're catching on! No. If you didn't write it or if it isn't addressed to you then you can't see it. All it will look like is doodles of Golden Snitches or whatever. Watch."

She picked up her notebook and wrote:

_Ron,_

_I can beat you at Wizard's Chess anytime I want._

_Ginny_

She picked up a notebook and found her letter in it. She passed it to Harry and all he could see was Chudley Cannon things written all over it.

"What did it say?"

"It was just telling Ron I can beat him in Chess!"

"You're about the only one that can get close to him. Now what happens when we run out of paper?"

"There's an auto-replenish charm on it. We'll never run out of paper. And it won't get any bigger either. We wouldn't want to have another version of _Hogwarts: A History _on our hands, would we?"

"No, we wouldn't want that. This is very nice, Ginny. I really mean that. But what made you come up with this idea."

"The truth?"

"Always the truth. No matter what."

Ginny blushed, but continued. "I didn't want you to revert back to the Harry that first arrived here. You and I have talked so much and gotten so close and… Well, I just wanted that to continue once we got back to school. I knew it would be hard since we're in separate years. It would be even harder with that crowded common room. And…well…nothing."

"What is it, Ginny?"

"I know that Ron and Hermione are your best friends, but you don't normally open up to them about the stuff you open up to me about. I just didn't want you to get all angry, sulky and depressed again, and then I figured this out. This would give us a chance to still live our normal 'school lives' but still talk and get closer. If that's okay with you, I mean."

"Of course it's okay with me. Come here." Harry put the notebooks back in the box and opened his arms for Ginny. She edged over to him and cuddled into his chest. It felt so good to have his arms around her again. She didn't want this to ever end. Then she felt Harry pulling back. She looked up at him to find him staring into her eyes. "This was the most perfect gift ever. Thank you so much."

"You're wel–

She didn't have a chance to finish as Harry bent down and started to kiss her. She smiled against his mouth and felt him smile in return. _I guess he liked it after all._


	6. Ch 6 Pretence

**Chapter 6 – Pretence **

The morning sun shone brightly through Ginny's window, bathing her in its warmth. She stretched, peeked open her eyes, and rolled over to groan into her pillow as she pulled the covers over her head. _Why couldn't it have rained last night? Where's that sudden thunderstorm I hoped would come though overnight? _She could hear Hermione rustling around the room, eager to start the day, and knew it wouldn't be long before she realised Ginny was awake.

A moment later she found a pillow being chucked her way.

"Wake up. Today's the day we go shopping in Diagon Alley. If you don't hurry you'll miss breakfast."

Ginny groaned again and burrowed further under the covers. All Hermione could hear was a muffled voice mumbling for her to go away as she walked over to Ginny's bed and yanked the covers off. Hermione laughed at the glaring look she received as Ginny reluctantly sat up and stretched.

"Would you please get up before your Mum decides to come in here? What is with you today, Ginny? Usually you love to go to Diagon Alley. "

Ginny just sat at the edge of her bed, arms folded across her chest glaring at her best friend. _How could she have forgotten? _

"Oh." Sudden awareness dawned in Hermione's eyes. "Merlin, Ginny, I'm sorry. I forgot that Dean wanted to meet up with you today. What did you decide?"

"Decide about what?"

"About Dean! Don't be think, it doesn't suit you." Hermione could hear the exasperation in Ginny's voice as she responded.

"I'm going to meet him of course, just like he asked. The Leaky Cauldron, three o'clock sharp."

"Are you going to break off with him?" Hermione thought she should. She didn't care much for Dean anyway, he was loud and rowdy and often hung out with Seamus Finnigan. She had spent the majority of last school term deducting points for their misdeeds.

"Don't know yet." Ginny's voice was muffled as dug through her wardrobe looking for something to wear. "I'll figure it out when I get there. Are the boys awake?" Finally decided on a pair of denim shorts and a sparkly green t-shirt, Ginny got dressed as Hermione made their beds.

"Ron is already downstairs and Harry is in the bathroom. I'm going to head down and let your Mum know you're awake."

"Thanks, Hermione," Ginny said, brushing her hair back into a ponytail.

After Hermione left, she reached under her pillow for the notebook and pen she now kept there. Ever since Harry's birthday, they had been writing notes to each other after Hermione and Ron had fallen asleep. She opened her book, eyes catching on a note Harry must have written when he first woke up.

_Ginny,_

_Well, today's the day. I know you don't want to do this; I don't either, but like we agreed, it's best for now. I don't think anyone else would understand what it is between us. I'm so used to being with you that it's going to feel strange you not being around. I'd tell you to ask your Mum to let you come with us, but we both know how protective she is of you. _

_I'll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron before Dean gets there, like we talked about the other day. If I can't be with you today, I'll settle for being near you. Don't worry, Gin. It'll all be okay. _

_Harry_

Ginny felt her face flush with heat and she remembered the other day that Harry had referred to. _Sure we talked, but there was a lot less non-talking going on. I'm just glad that tree can't talk!_ She quickly picked up her pen to reply, hoping Harry would think to check his book before going downstairs.

_Harry,_

_Have I told you lately how sweet you are to me? If I haven't, then remind me tonight and I will. And if you promise not to hex Dean when you see us together, I'll even show you how sweet I think you are. _

_I'm going to miss you today. I hate that we're doing this. Why did we decide it had to be this way again? Because it really wasn't one our most brilliant plans, you know that? As soon as I can, I'm breaking it off with him. I don't care if I have to tell the world why, but I want to be with you, Harry, and only you._

_Oh before I forget, are we still going to give Ron and Hermione their notebooks tonight? Tell me later. I've got to head down before Hermione wonders where I am._

_Ginny._

~*~

"I can't do this, Harry. I can't keep this secret. I can't lie to Dean, to Hermione and Ron." Ginny stopped her rapid pacing and twirled around to look at her boyfriend. "Harry, we're lying to _everyone_. You do realize that don't you?"

Harry sighed in frustration. He'd been listening to Ginny carry on for the better part of an hour now. Their plan – her plan – to meet Dean earlier in the day had not worked out since Mrs. Weasley refused to let Ginny out of her site the entire time they were in Diagon Alley. In fact, there had not been time for her to do anything other than wave frantically at Dean in passing and holler that she would owl him later. Except that later was now, and Ginny's irritation was due to the fact that she couldn't decide what to tell Dean.

"Look, Gin, we've been through this at least a dozen times. Just tell him the truth. Your mum was worried about you and wouldn't let you meet up with him, and you'll see him in a couple weeks on the train."

Harry watched as Ginny's glorious brown eyes suddenly changed from the semi-glazed look they had held during her rant to something more focused, a frown forming on her lips at the same time. _Uh oh. This doesn't look good._

"The truth? The truth, Harry? You want me to tell him the truth? Sure, I'll tell him the truth." The quill she was holding punctuated the air and her voice rose.

"How does this sound? _Dear Dean, I'm so sorry to tell you this via owl, but I'm breaking it off with you. I've been madly in love with Harry Potter my entire life and he's finally decided to notice me back. We've been snogging like crazy every day since he got here and I'd much prefer to be his girlfriend than yours. I do so hope you have a lovely rest of summer and we'll see you in September._ How does that sound for the truth, Harry?"

Harry stammered in response.

Throwing the quill on her desk, Ginny glared furiously at Harry and muttered something under her breath that Harry was glad he couldn't hear. He didn't think it was very pleasant. He unfurled his legs and got up from the corner of Ginny's bed where he'd been sitting. With just a few steps, he was holding Ginny in his arms and smoothing his hand down her fiery tresses. He felt her frustration ebb as the tears started.

"Shhh, it'll be okay," he murmured.

She let herself be held, nuzzling her face into his chest while he softly whispered into her hair until she calmed and the tears stopped.

He pulled away slightly, tipping her chin up until her eyes met his.

"Gin, I know this is hard, but I thought we were in agreement that it was better this way for now."

"I know we agreed, but I didn't know how much I'd miss you when I can't be with you." The words caught in her throat as she started sobbing again, burrowing her face into his chest until she almost couldn't breathe.

Harry felt his heart catch. Were they doing the right thing? Was _he_ doing the right thing in being with her? Ginny had always been strong; he'd never seen her cry as much as she had since they got together. Maybe he was being selfish in wanting her to be with him, maybe he was doing her more harm than good.

Ginny's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Harry, stop it. You have that look on your face that you get whenever you're having second thoughts. Knowing you, it's probably about me and I won't stand for it." Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry's neck before pulling him towards her for a kiss.

"I'm sorry for acting so mental. I just feel…I mean, it's just that… Oh, I don't know. I guess I'm just frustrated with it all. After that night in the Ministry, nobody lets me do what I want to do because it's always 'too dangerous' or else it's because I'm the only Weasley girl and I wouldn't want to hurt my dear mum and dad now, would I? Why can't people see that I'm not weak? I'm just as capable of fighting as Hermione or Ron or Luna and I proved it!"

Harry sighed. He knew this discussion was coming but had hoped it wouldn't happen just yet.

"Ginny, love, I know that you are every bit as capable and as strong and as smart and devious as any of our friends or the D.A. or even the Order. But Gin, you have to see that you're more vulnerable to Voldemort – to Tom Riddle – than anyone other than myself."

"Vulnerable?" Ginny screeched. "I am not vulnerable! I was 11 years old! I was young and untrained and uneducated –"

"Yes, I know, but Ginny –"

Ginny ignores his repeated attempts to interrupt her and continues. "– I'm none of that now. I can hex anyone like it's nobody's business. I know full well what Riddle is capable of and I know his tricks. I'm also older and I've learned a lot more and –"

"But I care about you!"

"Oh Harry," she softens just a bit. "I care about you too."

"No, Gin. I _really_ care about you."

"Of course you do. You care about me and Ron and Hermione, too. You care about most everyone, Harry. You're a very caring person."

"Ginevra." He says her full name, knowing it will focus her attention on him. "Will you please listen to me? I care about you in a way that I don't care about anyone else and I just want to know that you're safe."

Ginny had already opened her mouth to reply as her mind finally grasped onto what Harry had said. Speechless, she stared at him wide-eyed, her mouth still hanging open. Needing time to process everything that had just happened, she turned around and walked out of her room, not hearing Harry's last whisper.

"I think I'm falling in love with you, Ginny Weasley."

~ * ~ ~ * ~

_What am I doing? What kind of person have I become, playing games with someone's emotions like this, even if it is Dean. I know what Harry says and I understand his reasons, but is it really the right thing to do? No matter how much I try, I can't convince myself that lying to Dean, and to Ron and Hermione, and to everyone else I know for that matter, is the right thing to do. Let's see… what were all the arguments Harry gave me? Maybe I can figure out how to convince him to change his mind._

_The first is obviously Voldemort. _Ginny snorted._ I've already tried to convince him I'm in danger no matter what but he won't listen. I mean really, Tom's already come after me once; he wouldn't hesitate to do it again if he could. He – and his Death Eaters – consider us blood-traitors, so of course they're going to come after us. I don't understand why Harry doesn't see the fact that I'd be safer WITH him than without him nearby. At least nearby we can protect each other._

_And okay, I can kind of understand his wanting to keep us quiet because of the publicity. The poor guy can't go anywhere without people paying attention to him. He's a lot more than The Boy Who Lived, but nobody wants to see him for who he really is. I don't think I'd mind the attention though. If we're going to have a future together, there's going to be attention anyway, so what's the difference between it happening now or later?_

_Well, alright, I guess I also see his point about my brothers. Especially Ron, that prat. All of them think of me as their 'baby sister' when I'm almost of age. I'm certainly old enough to have a boyfriend – I did date Michael for most of last year, after all – but do they care? Do they see that? No, of course not! They just want to gang up on any boy that shows me any minor bit of attention. I'm not surprised that Harry would think they'd treat him the same way. Not that they would, would they? No, I'm sure they wouldn't. Harry's practically family – will be family someday, I hope. I'm sure they'd be pleased to find out that it's really Harry I'm dating and not Dean. After all, they like Harry and how many times has Ron complained about Dean. Why, they should be glad that I'm dating Harry instead._

_I guess it's maybe not so much the keeping it quiet, as it is the sneaking around. We can't sit together for meals or in the common room or the library. We can't walk to classes together and do our homework together. If we want to see each other we'll have to sneak out to the Room of Requirement or into a broom closet or a secret passageway or some place like that. And what happens if we get caught? How much worse is it going to be for the truth to come out that way than if we just fess up to it now?_

_Oh, Merlin. I love him so much I think I'm going to explode sometimes. I heard him, you know, earlier tonight when I left his room. He doesn't think I heard him but I did. He said that he thinks he's falling in love me with. I want to scream and shout it to the rafters, but that's impossible. I can't because it's supposed to be a secret. We're supposed to be a secret. And I can't tell him that I love him; it's too soon. If I tell him now it might scare him off. I have to wait until he says it first, but how long will that take I wonder? I suppose it doesn't matter. Sooner or later he'll find the words to tell me himself and then I can tell him and it'll all be okay._

_Tomorrow's school. We agreed that I'd sit with Dean on the train in order to keep up appearances. How much more I'd rather be sitting with him though! I could sit snuggled up beside him, his arm wrapped around me, and we'd laugh and talk with the others. We'd share the lunches Mum always packs and the sweets Harry always buys from the trolley witch. But no, it's not to be. Not this year anyway. Maybe next year will be different. Maybe this year will be the year that Harry finally beats Tom and we can sit together on the train next year. It's late and Hermione's been asleep for hours now. Sitting here brooding over things that I can't change isn't going to help, although I think I might be able to sleep now. And if I can't use words to make Harry change his mind, I'm just going to have to find some other way to convince Harry that he simply cannot live without me. _


	7. Ch 7 Missing

**Chapter 7 – Missing**

Ginny was bored. Dean and Seamus were talking about their summer, though it seemed they were only repeating things they'd already said. Looking out the window, she realized they were still several hours away from school. Situating herself into a corner, she tucked her notebook inside a textbook as if she was working on her summer homework, not that anyone would pay her mind. Periodically chewing on the end of her pen, she leaned back and allowed herself to become lost in her thoughts.

~ * ~

Standing near the edge of the Entrance Hall, Ginny glanced towards her best friend. She noted the worried frown on Hermione's face as she drew Ron away from the crowd. She watched as Ron gestured wildly, his facial features contorted and angry, while Hermione simply rolled her eyes in exasperation and tried to calm him down.

Concentrating hard, she thought she heard Ron say someone was missing before Hermione shushed him. _Who could be missing? s_he wondered. _Did something happen over the summer? I thought everyone we knew were on the train. _Looking around, she spotted Neville talking to Colin and Dennis, while Demelza and Luna stood nearby reading _The Quibbler_. Katie and Lee were near the staircase talking with a group of seventh years from Ravenclaw. Lavender, Parvati, and Padma were whispering excitedly, occasionally darting glances in Ron's direction. _Hmmm, I wonder what _that's_ all about. I should remember to warn him that they might be up to something._ Dean and Seamus were behind her, talking yet again about Muggle football. They reminded her of Hermione the way they prattled on about nothing in particular. _At least Hermione's prattle about Muggle music was somewhat interesting,_ Ginny mused.

_Wait – where's Malfoy?_ Ginny stood on her tiptoes to get a better look at everyone. Spotting him across the hall near his thugs, she sighed, uncertain whether it was in relief that Malfoy was visible and therefore not causing trouble, or in resignation that they'd have to deal with him for another year.

_So who could be missing? _Mentally running through their list of friends, she discovered that she'd accounted for everyone. _Except Harry._ Her eyes widened in fear as she stood on tiptoe again looking frantically around for any sign of raven hair. _Shite! Where in the bloody hell could he be? What happened to him? He was fine when I left him in the compartment this morning. We even agreed to meet up as soon as we could after the Feast. So where is he?_ Trying to fight the growing panic she felt, Ginny started naming all the places he might have gone. She briefly wondered if he would have skived off so he didn't have to watch her and Dean together, but no, that wasn't part of the plan. Nobody ever missed dinner on the first night back at school. _Or at least, not willingly. There was there year when he and Ron took the Anglia because they missed the train. Oh, Merlin. What if something bad had happened to him? _

Ginny felt the panic begin to grow all over again. _Stay calm, Ginny. You can't let on that you know Harry's missing. You especially can't let Dean know that you're worried about Harry. He's supposed to just be your friend, remember? _Ginny softly sighed. She didn't know how she was going to manage to pretend that she didn't fancy Harry when all she wanted was to spend every moment with him.

"Earth to Ginny. Everyone's going in now, let's go." Ginny shook her head as she let Dean lead her into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony.

~*~ ~*~

Ginny peered around the corner of the staircase, checking to be certain the common room was empty. Stepping cautiously, she made her way slowly up the boy's staircase to the door marked 'Sixth Years'. Testing the handle, she was pleased to find the door unlocked. She caught her lip in her teeth as she slowly opened the door just enough to slip inside the room. It was dark, much darker than her own room, and she stood beside the door until her eyes had adjusted. _Bugger. How am I supposed to find Harry's bed when all the curtains are closed?_ She tried not to trip over the assorted objects on the floor as she made her way around the room.

Spying a cabinet not far from the door, she tiptoed over to it hoping for some sign of the owner. Picking up a spare bit of parchment, Ginny noticed it had her name on it. Curious, she unfolded it and squinted, trying to make out the words. _Bloody hell! That's from Dean. _Her eyes widened as she realized that she was standing beside Dean's bed. _Stay calm; don't panic. He doesn't know you're here. _ She put the parchment back, careful to make sure that it didn't look like it had been moved. _If this is Dean, then Harry's across the room. I remember him telling me once that every year they always took the same beds they'd had since first year._

Ginny crossed the room and glanced over at the cabinet, pleased to see a pair of black rimmed glasses setting on top of it. She pulled back the edge of the curtain and slipped in, casting first a silencing spell and then an alarm spell so she'd have time to sneak back into her dorm before everyone woke up.

She stretched out next to Harry, putting her arm over his chest and nestling her head into that spot on his shoulder that seemed as if it had been made just for her. She felt Harry nuzzled her hair and pressed herself closer.

"Gin? Wuzwrong? Watimeizit?" Harry blinked at her in confusion, quite certain that he must be dreaming.

"Shhh, it's okay, Harry. I was just so worried about you earlier on the train, and then we hadn't really had any chance to talk, and well…" She broke off, suddenly unsure of whether she'd made the right decision in coming here tonight. _Too late now._ She mentally shrugged. _I'm already here with him, and I might as well stay._ "I had to see you, Harry. I thought I heard Hermione say someone was missing. Then I got so scared when I couldn't find you. I just needed to be with you tonight. Please don't make me go."

Harry could hear the tremor in her voice as she practically begged him to let her stay. Not that he had it in him to send her away anyhow. He knew he should, knew that they'd both be in a lot more trouble than just a few days detention if she was caught in his dorm, never mind in his bed, but he couldn't send her away. She was his sole comfort in this craziness, the light in the darkness that was his life.

He turned on his side, turning her at the same time so he was spooned up behind her. Slipping one arm under her and the other around her waist, he tucked her head under his chin and pulled the blankets up over them.

"You can stay. I want you to stay." He kissed her hair and closed his eyes, the sweet scent of apple blossoms surrounding him as he fell back to sleep.

~*~ ~*~

Harry sat in the common room during their first free period. Turning his chair so it looked like he was asleep, he pulled out his notebook and began to write.

_Gin,_

_I'm still amazed that you managed to sneak into my room last night. I thought for sure it was just a dream. I almost fell out of the bed when I woke up this morning and you were there. It was such a great feeling to have you cuddled safe and secure in my arms. You can't take that risk anymore though, Gin. It's too dangerous. If anyone else caught you up here… well, I'm not even sure _what _would happen, but I'm sure it would be bad. _

Harry paused, chewing on the end of his pen. He knew what he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure how Ginny would react. He didn't think she had heard him that day at the Burrow, or if she had, she hadn't said anything about it.

_Don't get me wrong though. I loved waking up with you beside me. I think I could get used to that. I missed sitting beside you at breakfast. This is so much harder than I thought it would be, but we can do this, right?_

He decided that was enough for now. There was more that he wanted to tell her – a lot more – but it would wait. Debating on what else to say, he watched as Ron continued to toss the Fanged Frisbee around the room. Crookshanks had long ago decided to ignore it, and him, and was curled up asleep on the sofa cushion.

_Oh, guess what? McGonagall said that I can still take Potions with Slughorn, so it looks like I might be able to be an Auror after all. Isn't that great? My free period is almost over; Defense Against the Dark Arts is next. Write me back when you can. I miss you._

_Harry._

~*~

It was lunchtime before Ginny had a moment free to herself. Tossing her rucksack on bed, she noticed her notebook slide out. Grabbing it up, she quickly opened it. _He wrote me! Oh my goodness, he dreams about me? Harry dreams about me!_ Ginny was practically dancing around her room, the notebook hugged to her chest in her excitement. Taking a breath, she opened her book and finished reading.

~*~

Hours later, the trio sat in their corner of the common room finishing up the essay Snape had assigned them earlier that morning. Ginny was sitting on the other side of the room talking with Colin, Demelza, and some third-years Harry didn't know. She had ignored him all evening, as she was still angry with him about following the Half-Blood Prince's suggestions during Potions class. He supposed she had a point, but it really wasn't the same thing as the diary. After all, he was just using the tips written in the book; it wasn't like the book was talking back.

Harry decided he'd had enough. Saying goodnight, he trudged up to bed and changed into pyjama pants and an old t-shirt. He wasn't tired, but he hadn't wanted to sit there trying not to watch Ginny for the rest of the evening. Picking up books at random, he flipped through them before putting them back down, not really paying them any attention. Picking them up, he started tossing them on his trunk. Clunk. He looked for the source of the noise and saw his notebook laying open on the floor. As he picked it up, he noticed Ginny's scrawl beneath the note he'd written her that morning.

_H – Meet me in the common room at midnight. Bring your cloak. G._

He looked at his watch, but it was only ten o'clock. Knowing the other boys would be coming up soon, he grabbed an old _Quidditch Weekly_ from beside Ron's bed, drew the curtains around his own, and pretended to be sleeping.

~*~

Ginny sat in the common room alone, wondering if Harry had found her note and would come. For a while she'd thought it wasn't going to work, not with Ron going up to bed until half past ten and Hermione staying up almost a full hour later. She'd been insistent that she had to finish her Runes assignments that night and once in that mindset, Ginny knew she wouldn't quit until she was done. Luckily, she was tired enough to believe Ginny when she said she'd be right up.

Midnight came and went. _How long should I wait? Did he even see my note? What if he saw it but doesn't want to talk to me? I can't blame him, not really. I was a bit mental about it, but honestly. Why can't he see how much that book worries me? If anyone should understand how dangerous that thing could be it should be him. He was there to see what it did. Doesn't he see that it could be the same thing? _Ginny sighed and decided to wait a bit longer. If he wasn't there by half past she'd assume he wasn't coming and would go to bed. Maybe tomorrow he'd be willing to talk.

Hearing a shuffle, she looked towards the stairs but didn't see anything. She turned back towards the fire and squeaked in surprise to see Harry standing next to her.

"Sorry. Dean and Seamus were both still talking. I didn't want to take a chance they would follow me down so I had to wait for them to go to sleep."

"It's okay, Harry. I thought maybe you hadn't seen my note or –" she broke off, unable to finish the sentence.

"Or didn't want to?" Harry asked softly. He pulled her up from the chair, only to settle himself into it and then settle her on his lap, his long arms wrapping around her waist.

"I'm sorry, Gin. I was a prat and didn't think about how you'd react to the book. But really, it is only a textbook. Whomever the Half-Blood Prince was, he at least knew what he was doing in Potions."

"I'm sorry too, Harry. I overreacted but first someone being missing, me not being able to find you, you telling me about Draco and the train and now this strange book. Can you at least understand why I got angry in the first place?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. Listen, I promise to be careful with it and not do anything stupid. Okay?"

Ginny looked at him but didn't respond. She'd prefer if he'd just get rid of the book, but she knew him too well to expect him to do just that. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him towards her.

"Enough talk, Harry. I just want to be with you right now," she said in a whisper.

Harry pulled her closer, feeling the warm of her body radiate to his own. He gently touched her lips with his own, but she wasn't in the mood for gentle. She kissed him back, hard, threading her fingers through his hair, not caring if they got caught in the tangles. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip before biting it.

_Two can play that game, my sweet,_ Harry thought. He wrapped his hands around her long tresses and gently pulled until she stopped biting. Now he had her exactly where he wanted her. Tugging her head back, he gently kissed his way down her nose, up over her eyes, along her jaw, purposely avoiding her lips. Ginny whimpered but Harry didn't stop. He continued trailing his path of gentle kisses up towards her ear, then back down along her neck until he reached that sweet spot he loved right at the base of her collarbone. Wrapping his hands even tighter into her hair, he sucked hard before nipping at her skin. Ginny moaned in pleasure. Her thoughts were jumbled, but she felt certain that should anyone find out that she enjoyed her boyfriend's rough kisses and bites they would surely consider her a wicked girl. At the moment though, she didn't care. She angled her head to give Harry better access to her throat and neck. Spurred on by her response, Harry drew the Invisibility Cloak over them and indulged both their desires.


	8. Ch 8 Taking Notes

_Authors' Note: We did a little creative rearranging to make this an extra longer chapter in exchange for the two shorter ones. I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as we enjoyed writing it. :) _

**Chapter 8 – Taking Notes**

The next few weeks seemed to fly by in a haze. Their _free _periods ended up being more stressful and work-filled than their normal classes. Harry was trying hard to keep on top of everything. There was so much homework, practicing non-verbal spells with Ginny, setting up for the House Quidditch try-outs and those upcoming lessons with Dumbledore that sometimes he didn't know which way was up.

He looked across the table and saw Hermione and Ron bickering yet again. _They just never stopped._ Harry had to admit that without Hermione's constant nagging and encyclopaedia-detailed study plans, he and Ron would be in serious trouble. Of course, he would never admit that out loud and certainly not to her. That would just make her more mental then she already was.

"Honestly, Ronald! If you're just going to complain about it you'll never get any work done!"

"Come on 'Mione!! This is just ridiculous. _No one_ could possibly study this much. If I follow your schedule I won't even have time to EAT!!"

With that, Hermione grabbed her books and turned her back to him. She pulled out her notebook and began to write. Harry wondered who she was writing to. Then he remembered that he hadn't checked _his_ notebook since lunch. _I wonder if Gin's had time to write to me yet. _Harry smiled. He opened the notebook and flipped to one of their previous conversations a week or so ago. It was late at night, when they were in their separate dorms, at some odd hour when they were _supposed _to be sleeping. Harry chuckled to himself and then began to read.

_H, I heard Slughorn showed you an Amortentia potion in class today. Were you ever going to tell me about it? I'm quite curious to know what you smelled. G_

_*****************_

_Gin, Curious, huh? What happens if I don't tell you? Harry_

_*****************_

_Harry, if you don't tell me I just might be tempted to hex you… G_

_*****************_

_G, okay, okay, settle down. It was treacle tart, broomstick polish, and apple blossoms. H_

_*****************_

_H, Apple blossoms? I didn't think you even knew what apple blossoms were. G_

_*****************_

_G – that was cruel, Gin. Of course I know what apple blossoms are. The orchard around the Burrow is filled with apple trees. We spent most of the summer under an apple tree, or have you forgotten already? Besides, it wasn't the Burrow I was thinking about when I smelled the apple blossoms – it was you. H_

_*****************_

_H – Oh, Harry, that is so sweet! If you were here right now, I'd kiss you! G_

_*****************_

_G – too bad I have to miss it. Can I collect it later? H_

_*****************_

_H – of course! How about meeting me in the third floor broom closet before lunch? You know the one behind the knight tapestry? G_

_*****************_

_G – I'll be waiting. See you soon. H _

_I can't believe I told her all that. She must think I'm mental. I'm such a sap. It is the truth though. I bet she asked Hermione afterward too! _

Harry noticed there was a new one from Ginny. With a smile Harry put the notebook inside of his textbook, leaned back in the chair and began to read.

_H – you were certainly very sneaky today. I must admit that snatching me and pulling me behind that statue for a quick kiss was wonderful. It made reporting to _Defense_ class almost bearable. I really do like the class, but the teacher leaves something to be desired. Ha! You're just lucky that I remembered that was _our statue _and didn't hex you to pieces first and ask questions later. Please try to find another way to get my attention. You may not be so lucky next time. I wish I could see you tonight in our secret spot. I know you have to meet Dumbledore. Are you ever going to tell me what that's all about? Talk to you later. G_

Harry sat back and thought a bit before responding. These last few weeks had been wonderful. He wished they didn't have to hide, but considering she had a boyfriend that wasn't him, that made it impossible. Add to that a certain evil wizard hell-bent on taking over the world, and there was no way he would let anyone know about them. Those few moments they did have, along with the notebooks, certainly made things easier to handle. _Should I tell her about my lessons with Dumbledore? He said that I could tell Ron and Hermione. If he knew about Ginny I bet he would let me tell her too. I'm terrible at lying, especially to her. She's going to find out sooner or later. Maybe I'll try to ask him tonight. I am _not_ willing to take the chance of receiving her bat-bogey hex. It's gotten a lot stronger in the last few months. _

_G – I'm sorry about scaring you. The look on your face was priceless though. If I ever get a Pensieve of my own remind me to show you sometime. After you hex me I'm sure you'll get a great laugh out of it. With all the practice you've helped me with you should be the best person if your _Defense _class. Just don't look Snape in the eye or he can use Legilimency to see where you learned it all. I know he's not supposed to do that on a student, but I don't doubt he would try. Anyway, I have a lot of work to do before dinner. After that I have more work to do before seeing Dumbledore. I probably won't have time to talk to you before bed so in case I don't, sleep well and have sweet dreams. Talk to you later. H_

~*~

Ginny was still in _Defense _class when she got Harry's note. She tried not to smile too much since Snape was walking around the classroom. _I think you're right Harry. That does seem like something Snape would do. I'll have to remember that. _She went back to her reading, but her mind kept wandering. _I do not want to spend the whole night trying to fight Dean off. I wonder why he hasn't broken up with me by now. I'm not a very good girlfriend to him; far different from last year anyway. Boys are so thick. Maybe I'll see what Hermione is doing. I hate to say it, but a night in the library would be a vacation. At least Dean would have to be quiet and behave there. _Ginny opened her notebook again and wrote a quick note.

_Hermione – what are your plans for tonight? Harry has to go see Dumbledore for who knows what. (Do you know? Will you tell me? I'm dying to know.) Anyway, I don't want to be stuck in the common room with Dean all night. Want to head off to the library for some peace and quiet? Maybe we'll manage to get some work done. I seriously doubt Ron would come. Let me know. – Ginny_

_*****************_

_Ginny – I would love to go to the library. I'm not even going to invite your dim-witted brother. He says _I'm _mental. He makes me that way. First he complains about the study plans, then he complains how far behind he is and then that he won't have any time to eat if he follows it. If he would stop complaining and actually work he'd have a lot of time for everything. I mean _HONESTLY!!_ When is he going to figure out that I like him? When is he going to figure out that I'm a _GIRL?? _Hello!! Sorry. Had to rant. Yes, I'll go with you to the library. How about after dinner we come back to the Common Room to get our stuff and go straight there. I could stay there all night. – Hermione_

_*****************_

_Hermione – you know my brother isn't too bright. You'll have to slap him over the head with a sack of beetle dung to get him to notice you. Tell him yourself. Drag him into an empty classroom and tell him. Yell at him if you have to! Kiss him! Do something! If you wait for him then you'll be older the Dumbledore before he figures it out. Your library plan sounds great. Hopefully Dean won't come, but if he does will you help save me? – Ginny_

_*****************_

_Ginny – of course I will. Madame Pince won't let him get out of line anyway. As for your brother I will _NOT_ do that. Everyone would think that I am some kind of scarlet woman or something. I just need to stop thinking about him and move on to someone else. That should show him. See you at dinner. – Hermione_

_*****************_

_Hermione – you are not some kind of scarlet woman. You know what you want and you need to go after it. You want to go out with someone like McLaggen? That would really get him. Who would be more miserable? You or him? I think you should let me hex him into next week. Maybe that will get through to him. I better go before Snape comes round again. See you at dinner. – Ginny_

_~ * ~ ~ * ~_

Ginny felt like her head was in the clouds. She didn't think she could possibly be any happier. She and Harry were getting along so well. Not only had he actually started telling her about his lessons with Dumbledore, he'd told her about the prophecy and some of his dreams for the future. The only thing was that he wouldn't tell her about his past. _He'll open up eventually. It must have been really horrible if he's not willing to talk about it. He talked to me about Sirius when he wouldn't talk to anyone else, so I'll just have to wait it out._

It was the weekend and Ginny was getting ready to head down to the Great Hall for breakfast before going to Quidditch practice. She still couldn't believe what a great Captain Harry was. Well, she could believe it, but it still surprised her. He was so organized and bossy. She laughed at the thought. He acted just like when he was teaching the DA classes, only, well, happier. Quidditch was fun. It was his outlet. He didn't have to worry about becoming a murderer or a victim. He didn't have to worry about an upcoming war and if there would be a future after that. He could just be Harry, hanging out with his friends and classmates, and enjoy spending time on his broom. Ginny was definitely happy she made the team and could be part of that. She smiled to herself as she walked down to breakfast.

~ * ~

Harry woke up and stretched. _That felt good. _He reached to his side table for his glasses, sitting up as he put them on. He looked out the window. _That is a perfect day. Just look at how beautiful it is outside. Perfect Quidditch weather. _Harry swung his feet out of bed, grabbed his clothes and headed to the loo to get cleaned up.

About a half hour later, Harry was walking down the dormitory stairs, Ron grumbling as he trudged behind him. Nothing could spoil Harry's mood. Not even Ron's complaining about waking up _'so bloody early on a weekend'._ Harry just smiled and kept walking.

His mind was focused on Ginny. He loved everything about her. She was fun, smart, and beautiful. He could be himself around her. He really liked watching her play Quidditch. She was a great player, but he loved the way her eyes sparkled when she played. It was like there was no other place she would rather be; riding higher and higher on her broom with the wind blowing through her long, red hair. The only time a smile left her face is when she was totally concentrated on the play. _Well, except for when she is telling someone off. I won't be surprised if one of the Slytherin players manages to get hexed by her. It's not like they don't have it coming._

Things were certainly looking up for Harry. He was finally getting the hang of balancing all of his schoolwork. He was actually almost caught up with everything. _Thanks in large part to Hermione, of course. _Lessons with Snape weren't all that bad. Harry seemed to know quite a bit more about Defense then Potions so there was less for Snape to pick on him for. That didn't mean he didn't try. That didn't bother Harry at all. Not even Hermione and Ron's constant bickering could get to him. Harry had to admit that they didn't make it easier for him to practice his non-verbal spells for Defense, Charms and Transfiguration. Thankfully Ginny and the Room of Requirement made that much easier. Hermione really was surprised that he was catching on so quickly when he had such a hard time in the beginning. She was begging for him to share his secrets, but he wouldn't.

The best thing that was going good for him was Ginny. She made everything so much easier to deal with. She didn't treat him like a charity case or like he would break. She didn't treat him like a child who didn't know anything either. She just treated him like Harry. Harry smiled and walked into the Great Hall.

~ * ~

When Harry walked in for breakfast Ginny could feel his presence. She turned toward the door and caught his eye. He smiled quickly and then looked away. _I wonder what that's all about. _Ginny turned back around and saw Dean looking at her. _Oh. _She went back to her breakfast and listening to Dean and Seamus talking about sports of some kind, not that she cared. She pushed her plate aside and took out her notebook.

"What are you doing," Dean asked.

"I'm just writing a list of studying I need to do after practice so I don't forget," she answered.

"I thought we were going to get some time to ourselves tonight."

"I have a lot of work to do and so do you. We can still be together in the library if you want."

"Ginny! That's not what I meant and you know it. We never get any alone time anymore."

"Lower your voice, Dean!! Mum will have a fit if she knows I've been spending all my time with you and not on my studies. Do you want me to get a Howler with _your_ name mentioned too? You know she'll do it if I fall too far behind. Ron would love nothing more then to get me in trouble if it keeps Mum off his back and you know it."

"I guess you're right. I do have a lot of studying to do. That's not counting the two essays of twelve inches each I have. Promise me we'll have some time together soon. Alone time. Please, Ginny?"

"I promise to try."

Ginny flashed him a winning smile that Lockhart would be proud of. Dean seemed to accept it because he smiled back before diving back into his food. Ginny leaned down and wrote in her book, trying not to look too happy. It was a _chore list_ of sorts she was trying to write after all.

_H – I don't know how much longer I can keep putting Dean off. He just interrogated me like I was some kind of Death Eater. Honestly! This is getting ridiculous. Can you remind me again why we are going through this? I can't stand it when he touches me. The only thing that gets me through it is thinking of you. I'll be in the library again tonight. That seems to keeps him away more then anything else I've tried. I know you don't like it in there, but it's the only thing that seems to work. Maybe you can get Ron to come this time so it isn't too boring for you. The first Hogsmeade weekend is coming soon. I wish I was going with you. Maybe you can suggest all of us go together. You invite Neville and I'll invite Luna. If I have to be alone with Dean I can't promise that he won't get hexed or kicked in a not-so-nice spot. See you at Quidditch practice. – G_

Ginny looked down the table at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry must have felt her and looked over. She slowly put her notebook away. He nodded his head and went back to talking with Ron. Hermione was ignoring both of them. She had her nose in her book again, but you could see her sneaking a look over the top of it to get a quick glance at Ron. He'd look in her direction and she'd put her head back down. Ginny saw her face flush each time. _She still wants to be with him. It doesn't matter that she says otherwise. He wants her too. I may have to work on something without telling her. She'll never let me help if she knows about it._

Ginny left the Great Hall and went up to her dorm before heading out for Quidditch practice. Opening her side table drawer, she put her notebook inside and cast a quick locking charm, just in case. With a satisfied nod, she headed down to the pitch.

~ * ~

Later that day, Harry was sitting with Ron and Neville in the library. He kept looking over to see Ginny sitting with Dean, Hermione, and Luna. He pulled out his notebook and read Ginny's note from earlier.

_H – Quidditch practice was great. I think we have a great chance of beating all of the House Teams this year, especially Slytherin. That House Cup is in the bag. McGonagall will be so happy. – G _

_*****************_

_G – Slow down. We haven't even had our first game yet. Do you want your brother to throw up every game? Never mind, I think that you just might. You're a bit evil like that. – H_

_*****************_

_H – Evil am I? I can show you evil if you like. I don't think you've had the pleasure of my famous hex. You know which one I'm talking about. – G_

_*****************_

_G – Yes, I do know and no, I don't want to be hexed. I'll pass. I wouldn't mind seeing Dudley on the receiving end of it though. That would be priceless. – H_

_*****************_

_H – And you say I'm evil? Remember that next time our practice sessions in the Room of Requirements turn into snogging sessions. I'll show you what evil really is. – G_

_*****************_

_G – I said I was sorry. I promise I won't call you evil again. Speaking of those, when are we going to have one again? – H_

_*****************_

_H – That's up to you. You're the one that has a million things going on at once. I can always make up something and get away. I am related to Fred and George after all. – G_

_*****************_

_G – We have to make it soon. Not tomorrow. I have another lesson with Dumbledore then. I'll make sure to tell you all about it. I'm not going to write it; I'll tell you in person. How about the day after my lesson with Dumbledore? Does that sound good? – H_

_*****************_

_H – That's two days away, but I think I'll survive. So long as I have my daily meeting behind the statue before class again. Deal? – G_

_*****************_

_G – It's a deal! – H_

Closing their notebooks, they both attempted to go back to their work, their thoughts drifting forward to their next meeting together. The time when they would be alone and not surrounded by a handful of other people. The time when they could be themselves and not worry about anyone else. The next time that the only people that existed were the two of them. The time they both cherished above anything or anyone else.

~ * ~

At Harry's request, the Room of Requirement had supplied them with a corner that was almost an exact replica of their common room. Lounging on his favourite sofa with his feet propped on a matching ottoman, he had pulled Ginny down so she lay with her head resting on his lap and her feet sticking over the sofa's arm. Her hair was spread out beside him; he absentmindedly played with it as they talked.

"We _always _talk about me, Harry. Let's talk about you for a change." Ginny's voice was almost a whine as she attempted to steer the conversation where she wanted it to go.

Harry sighed. They'd had this discussion several times now; he didn't know what good it would do to have it again. "Gin, you already know all about me. You read stories about me before I met you, and we've known each other for six years now. What is there you want me to say?"

"You could start by telling me when you first started noticing me, and I'm not talking about the day you first kissed me either. You had to have noticed me long before then."

Look down at her, Harry pulled a face. "You might not want to hear this, but I don't know if I can tell you that. I acted without thinking that day. It wasn't as if I'd been watching you from afar or something like that."

Ginny scowled. She wanted him to say something romantic, something she could treasure forever. She did not want to hear that it was just something he did without rhyme or reason. "Come on, Harry, there has to be something. You wouldn't have just up and kissed me if you hadn't wanted to."

Harry knew she was right, though he hadn't considered the reasons behind his previous actions. Surely he could come up with something he could tell her, couldn't he?

"Well, there was this one time that we were all in Hogsmeade. You were dating Corner then." Ginny closed her eyes and let Harry's voice wash over her.

_Harry stared out the window and wished Hermione would hurry up. It had been a long day and he was tired. First there was the argument with Cho before she left crying, and then he had to deal with that awful Rita Skeeter. He was ready to go, while Hermione wanted to buy more parchment and Ron, who had just gotten there after a long day of Quidditch practice, wanted another butterbeer. Hermione had agreed to meet the boys later at the Three Broomsticks so they could all walk back to school together. _

_Turning around, Harry saw Ron still sending stony glares at Ginny, who was sitting across the room with her Ravenclaw boyfriend, Michael Corner. _

_"I don't know what she sees in him," Ron muttered. "He's such a git."_

_Harry groaned. Ron had been complaining about Ginny and Michael for months now, ever since the first Hogsmeade weekend when he'd found out they were dating, and it was always worse when he saw them together. _

_Staring even harder at the couple snogging in the corner - as if it would make them stop - Ron mumbled something else that Harry didn't quite hear. He half wished that Angelina had kept the team practicing all day and not let them out early so they could still visit the village. _

_Following Ron's gaze, Harry noticed that Ginny looked very pretty in form-fitting jeans and a white jumper that set off the fire in her long silky hair. The jumper also emphasized curves that he didn't remember noticing before and briefly wondered when that had happened. _

_Before he could dwell on his thoughts, Hermione walked in and announced she was ready to leave._

"I guess that was probably the first time I realized that you were growing up. Of course, there was also that time you brought me the chocolate Easter egg and we both got in trouble with Madam Pince for having food in the library. I remember thinking later how much fun you were to be around and how much I enjoyed talking to you. It made me wonder why we didn't hang out more often. And then this summer, when you were there to keep me company and you refused to let me 'sink into depression', I think is how you put it. That really means a lot to me, Gin, that you'd do that for someone like me."

Ginny swallowed back the lump in her throat, squeezing her eyes tightly before opening them again. Harry's face was close, his green eyes every bit as watery as her own. "Oh, Harry. I – that is – I mean –" Her voice broke as she tried to find the words she'd been searching for. Failing, she reached up and pulled Harry's head down to her own, their lips meeting in a soul-searing gentle kiss.

The attraction was there. They could feel it; something so powerful everyone in the castle could probably feel it flowing from them. The kiss quickly deepened into something more with lips, tongues and teeth clashing together in a powerful struggle. Both trying to take control, trying to show the other through this kiss what they hadn't said in words. That they loved each other – wholly, completely, and eternally. In Ginny's mind, her kiss symbolized what she loved best about him. To Harry, it was meant to show the love he never knew he could give so completely and trusting. The kiss went on for what seemed like ages.

Feeling faint from the lack of breathing, Ginny pulled back slightly. Harry's eyes were still closed; he leaned toward her so his forehead was resting lightly on hers. As he tightened his arms around her, he realized that he was now lying beside her on the sofa. His breath hitched and he felt her shudder as she seemed to notice the same thing. Even though he was several inches taller, she fit perfectly in his arms. He knew he should move, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. It just felt so right lying there beside her.

Their foreheads were still touching and he could feel her eyelashes fluttering against his as she struggled to catch her breath. Opening his eyes, he stared directly into chocolate. _Bloody hell,_ he groaned. He didn't think he'd ever seen Ginny's eyes darker than they were at that very second. In fact, he didn't think it was even possible for brown to be that particular shade, so close to black.

Ginny closed her eyes before she drowned in emeralds. Harry's gaze burned through to her very core. She squirmed down to rest her head on his chest, just under his chin. She could feel his heart beating under her cheek, feel the whisper of his breath in her hair. He shifted her so she was laying on top of him, his arms around her. They lay like this frequently; often talking softly about their childhoods or friends, sometimes just enjoying the closeness and not talking at all. It was also the way they found themselves when they woke up some mornings, after those nights when one of them had a nightmare and sought comfort from the other. Tonight though seemed different. It was a subtle shift of something Ginny couldn't name, but she knew something had changed.

As she lay there, her breath slowing returning to normal, she felt Harry's hands play on her back. _Up down up down._ Slow. Casual. Tracing from her neck to her waist, then back again, almost as if he was unaware of what he was doing.

She thought again of the unspoken words she had seen in his eyes. _What I wouldn't give to know Legilimency right now. I can't keep up with all the thoughts running through my own mind, but maybe if I knew what Harry was thinking, mine would make sense._

Harry didn't want to move. _This is absolute perfection. If only we could stay this way forever. I only hope that Gin's right and we have a forever._ Looking down at the redhead in his arms, he saw her hair spread about her, the shades of red and gold blazing in the firelight. He raised a hand and ran it down her head in a tender gesture. _This is it – there couldn't be a more perfect time to tell her._

"Gin." His voice was husky; whether from the previous lack of oxygen or the emotions he felt coursing through him, he couldn't say. "Gin, look at me, hun."

She looked up at him with those dark chocolate eyes he loved so much. He could see love shining in her eyes. Love, friendship, and family, and so much more. All the things he'd ever hoped and dreamed about were right here in his arms. Taking a breath, he kissed her softly on the forehead.

"What is it, Harry? Is something wrong?"

"No love, not wrong. Nothing could ever be better."

She smiled to return the sentiment. "Then what –"

He shushed her with a gentle kiss. "I just wanted to tell you –" He broke off, swallowing again. _This is much harder than I thought it would be._ "Ginny Weasley, I love you. I just thought you should know."


	9. Ch 9 Stronger Together

**Chapter 9 – Stronger Together**

Ginny was speechless. Though she'd known he loved her for a while now – anyone with half a mind could have figured it out if they paid attention – the last thing she expected was for him to say it; and at a moment like this, nonetheless.

_I can't believe he said it! He _finally_ said it! What do I do? I am so happy I can't stand it. I can finally tell him that I feel the same way, AND I won't have to worry that he'll run away, screaming his arse off. Wait! Harry loves me and no one can know? We really need to talk about that. _

Harry didn't know what to do. He had just stated, out loud, that he loved her and she hadn't answered him.Harry sat there, waiting, hoping, that she would return his feelings. _I know she loves me, well at least I thought she did. What is that look on her face? She looks like she was just hit with a Stunner. Was I wrong? Okay, now she looks mad. I hope she doesn't hex me. I'd rather have her say she doesn't love me then have her hex me. How would I explain _that _to everyone? Will this girl, woman, make up her mind? Now she looks happy. I can't take it anymore. I think I'd rather be helping Hagrid with the Blast-Ended Skrewts then wait for her to answer. I'm going to go for it._

Harry opened his mouth, ready to say something, then shut it again. _What is he doing? I hope he's not going to tell me he hadn't meant to say it. He _better_ not say it was just the moment and he's sorry. _Harry opened his mouth again. Ginny closed her eyes, afraid of what she was going to hear.

"Gin?"

She could hear the tremor in his voice. _Oh Merlin! Here it is. He's going to tell me he didn't mean it. _Ginny took a deep breath and waited again, her eyes still closed. _I can't look at those gorgeous eyes when he breaks me heart._

"Gin? Did you hear me?"

Her heart leapt when she heard those words. _Thank heavens!! I can do this. I can tell him the truth. He's just waiting to hear me say it too. Here it goes…_

Ginny opened her eyes then said, "Harry, I love you too." A wave of relief washed over Harry. _I can see her smiling all the way up to her eyes. Finally! _ He'd been so nervous when he'd told her and she hadn't responded. All those thoughts of him being wrong, Ginny not loving him back or her thinking it was just a game were gone. He had heard what he wanted and was glad. He could tell by the look on her face, the expression in her eyes, that she meant it just as much as he did.

"Thank Merlin," he said, pulling her to him for another kiss, one that was anything but gentle.

"You have no idea how nervous I was. I saw the look on your face changing so fast, I was afraid you were going to hex me."

"Why would I hex you, Potter? You just told me you love me. Do you need to go see Madame Pomfrey? You do look a bit peaked."

Harry laughed deep in his chest, "I don't need to go to the hospital wing, thanks for the offer though. You just looked… well, stunned. Then you looked angry. That's when I thought you were going to hex me. At the end you looked happy. I figured I'd better make sure you heard me before you reached for your wand."

Ginny playfully slapped him on the chest. "I don't need to hex you. Well, maybe if you hadn't said it I might have eventually. You just took me back to all those years ago. To dreams of hearing you say those words to me. The dreams that I had long before I even met you on the Platform during your First Year."

"That's a relief then. I don't think I would've been able to stop you."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen you mad! Remember? You're right scary when you're _that_ angry. You can give Mrs. Weasley some competition when you're in a fit like that."

"Thanks, Harry. I don't think I want to be talking about my Mum right now."

Harry looked down at their current state and chuckled again. "You do have a point."

"Of course I have a point. Weasley women are always right. You'll do well to remember that," she said in an excellent imitation of her Mum.

"Ok. Now _that_ was a bit scary."

They both laughed and snuggled even closer together, laying there like that for a short while. They enjoyed the fact that they both loved each other and knew that, for at least this moment, no one would take that away from them. Thoughts of Voldemort and the War were far from their minds. Harry reached down and tenderly lifted Ginny's chin so she was looking up at him. He kissed her gently on the nose.

"What were you thinking before you answered me?"

A blush crept across her face. _How do I tell him without ruining the moment? I don't want to start a row! Especially not now! _Ginny leaned up on her elbow a little and cleared her throat. _Those eyes are going to be the death of me, I swear they will. _Ginny took a deep breath.

"I told you. I was so happy that you made my dreams come true. We've come a long way, Potter."

"That was the stunned and happy looks. What was the irritated face about?"

"Well, umm…that look was for something else."

Harry looked her straight in the eye and said, "We need to be honest. We can't hide things. You're one of the few people in this world that I trust the most. I don't want to lose that trust."

Ginny signed. _I can do this. I can tell him. After all, he did ask. _"Well, it was because this is the best thing that has happened to me and I can't share it with anyone."

Harry opened his mouth to say something and Ginny put her hand over it. "Let me finish, Harry."

Harry nodded and she took her hand away. "I know what you said. I know what your reasons are. I know I agreed to them. Don't you think things have changed with us, for the better?"

"Yes, they have changed. I don't want them to change back either. If something happens to you then they will change. I don't know if I can go on if I lose you on top of everyone else I've loved."

"Harry… We are stronger together then we are apart. You said it yourself. You're getting more powerful, you're getting better at your non-verbal spells, and you're faster. You said that I'm even ahead of Hermione with that stuff too. We're a great team. Don't try to deny it."

"I'm not denying it, Ginny."

"Good!"

"You're forgetting one important thing though."

"And what is that exactly?"

"You have a boyfriend. One that's not me as far as the school knows."

"That can be easily fixed and you know it!"

"I do know it, but is that what you want to do?"

"Harry! How can you ask me that? I'm beginning to think that between you and Ron that _YOU_ might be the bigger prat!"

Ginny got up and sat on her own, away from Harry. Her arms were folded across her chest and she was fuming. Harry thought, _h__ere comes the hex. Get yourself ready, Harry. You deserve it this time._ Harry sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. He sat with his shoulders slumped, facing the floor. He took a deep breath. Without looking up he said, "You know I didn't mean it like that, Ginny. I meant that one minute you're with Dean for all these months and then the next you and I are together. Don't you think that would be a problem?"

Ginny huffed. She looked over her shoulder, giving him a look that could kill, saying, "And sneaking around behind his back isn't a problem?"

When Harry had no response Ginny turned towards him and continued, "I love you and you love me. We are together and want to be together with _only _each other. Why can't that happen? Why not now instead of later?"

Harry walked up to her and stopped her from pacing. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her as he sighed. Ginny could feel the groan from within his chest on her cheek. Tears started falling. She didn't want to row with Harry. It was the last thing she wanted. This was supposed to be a perfect night and now she had ruined it. _Why can't he see my side of it? I'll just have to find a different way to make him see things my way. _

Harry looked down and saw the tears falling across her cheek. He lifted her head and wiped the tears with his thumb. "I'm sorry, Gin. I wish I could better explain why it has to be this way. You know I'm not good at that. I'd like to promise that things will change soon, this year, but I can't make that promise. I don't want to lie to you, not ever! I don't want to hurt you. If I made that promise, knowing that I might not be able to keep it, then I would end up hurting you. Can you understand that?"

"Oh, Harry. I do understand. I don't like it. I don't agree with it, but I understand it. If I find a way to make it different, to make it better, would you at least listen to me then? I don't want another row. I hate fighting with you."

"I promise to at least listen. I won't promise that you'll change my mind, but we can at least talk about it."

Ginny leaned up and gave Harry a gentle kiss. "I'll take that promise. And I'm sorry too. I want tonight to be special. Can we move on now?"

With that, Harry leaned down and took her mouth into a kiss. A kiss that was much deeper then before. Ginny gasped for breath and enjoyed making up with Harry. _I guess I got my answer. If all rows end like this then maybe they aren't so bad after all. _Ginny was stirred from her musings when she felt Harry inching backwards toward the couch. Without breaking contact, he lay down and pulled Ginny down on top of him. _I love it when she's lying on top of me. This is heaven. She fits so nicely; we fit perfectly together. I promise to do all that I can so we can be like this forever. That's a promise I intend on keeping. _

Ginny's hands found their way to Harry's chest, her fingers quickly unbuttoning his shirt. She needed to feel his skin against hers. "Off," she demanded, pushing his shirt from his shoulders. Harry groaned. _Shite! What is she doing? We've always been cautious to keep things slow. We've talked about this, about how we can't let our feelings get out of control_. No matter how much he loved the feel of Ginny's hands on his skin, he'd always been certain to keep at least a few buttons fastened. Now though, his shirt was on the floor and he wasn't at all certain what was going to happen next.

Ginny splayed her fingers through the coarse hair on his chest. She'd seen him shirtless over the summer, of course, but this – this was different. This was her boyfriend; he loved her and she loved him and it just felt right to be with him like this. Harry gasped as his stomach muscles jumped under her touch. _Can't think… her hands… soft…_ He whimpered in both agony and delight when he felt her hair against his skin. _Too much… not enough… _ "Wha – Gin, what – Oh, Gin that –" Harry couldn't think, couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate. First it was her hands, then her hair, now her lips as she kissed her way down his chest to his stomach.

He opened his eyes when he felt her move, only to see her sitting up, straddling his hips. The fingers that had just moments ago been tormenting his torso were now undoing the buttons of her own shirt. His eyes grew wide as he watched, his fingers digging into her hips. He ran his hands up her arms, lifting her hair and letting it fall behind her like a curtain of fire. Trying unsuccessfully to speak, he kissed her instead, drawing the shirt away and pulling back to look at her. She had always worn a t-shirt over her bathing suit during the summer, and he'd been careful not to let his hands wander too high during their snogging sessions, so he'd never seen her like this before. _Not outside my dreams, anyway. _She wore a pale pink bra, the fabric so thin from multiple washings that it left little to the imagination.

Ginny felt the heat of Harry's gaze, suddenly afraid that she'd taken things too far. _He hasn't said anything. Why hasn't he? Oh Merlin, what if he doesn't like what he sees? _Suddenly embarrassed by her actions, she wrapped her arms around herself and looked down, heat flooding her face. Harry grasped her hands and pulled her arms away.

"No, don't. Ginny, you're – you're so beautiful.

~ * ~

Harry was convinced that either time had stopped, or this was all a dream, because he was certain it couldn't be real. _No, it's simply not possible that Ginny, his Ginny, was lying here asleep in his arms, still dressed in nothing more than her denims and bra. _Harry tried to remember the events that had happened earlier in the evening, but it was pointless. The only thing that stood out in his mind was Ginny and how absolutely beautiful she was.

Bathed in the light of the fire, Ginny's hair was a curtain of flame flowing down her back, the ends of it tickling Harry's bare stomach whenever Ginny leaned over him. Her skin was flushed from both heat and passion, pinkening even more in her apparent embarrassment as she tried to cover herself from his eyes. Pulling her arms away, he told her how beautiful she was, how much he loved her, how honoured he felt that she would share this much of herself with him.

Harry had been so in awe of her – of this gift she had given him – that the passion that had raged only moments before now smouldered with an intensity that went much deeper. Tracing her skin lightly, almost reverently, he studied her. He wanted to know every inch of her, wanted to taste every delightful freckle he could see. Lying there together, they talked long into the night, their conversations punctuated with tender kisses. Harry told her of his childhood spent with the Dursleys and wiped the tears away from Ginny's eyes as she cried for him. She told him of how lonely she had been during her first year and how unhappy she was that summer after when her family coddled her and tried to pretend nothing bad had happened. They talked of their dreams for the future, a future they wanted to share with each other, once Voldemort was gone for good.

For now though, Harry was content to watch Ginny sleep until he himself fell asleep. It was Saturday and he had scheduled Quidditch practice for late in the afternoon, so nobody would expect to see either of them up early. There was time then to enjoy the moment of simply being with the one you love.


	10. Ch 10 Doubts

**Chapter 10 – Doubts**

Ginny hated sneaking around. She understood why Harry thought it was better but she still hated it. She loved him and he loved her and yet she couldn't be with him in public. She wanted to see him grin when she walked into the room. She wanted him to come up beside her and wrap his arms around her waist and show everyone that she was his girl. She wanted to run up to him after he'd just won a Quidditch match and snog him senseless right there in front of everyone. There were a lot of things she wanted but knew that she couldn't have, not know anyway. Nobody could know – that was the promise they made to each other just before school started. But oh, how she hated it!

She glanced over at Dean, who was leaning against a tree talking to Seamus about that Muggle football team again. He thought she was listening but she wasn't. She was watching Harry across the lake where, judging by their hand movements, he and Ron were talking about Quidditch while Hermione sat nearby reading.

Harry felt her gaze on him and looked up to see the longing in those deep brown eyes that he loved so much. He flashed her a brief smile of reassurance and love before looking away again.

Just that morning she'd waited for him to come down from his dormitory before breakfast. Pulling him close, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged his lips down to meet hers. Gasping for breath a few minutes later, she asked if he'd given any thought to their previous discussion.

"Gin, we already covered all this last night. You know I want to be with you too. I want to tell the world that I love you, but we can't. It's not safe and you know that. If Voldemort finds out that we're together, he's going to come after you again."

Stepping away, Ginny stomped her foot angrily. "I know, but it's so hard. I'm the one that's pretending to be with someone else, not you. It's not fair and I hate it!"

Harry pulled his girlfriend back into his arms and held her tight. His chin rested on her head while he let his hands wander up her back and into the silky strands of the hair that had always fascinated him.

"Oh, love, don't you think it's hard on me too?" he asked. "It tears me up inside to see you with my mate. Watching you snog him when it should be me makes me want to hex his bits off."

Ginny giggled at his fierceness and snuggled closer. In her opinion, there was no better feeling in the world than that of his arms wrapped tightly around her as if they were the only people in the world.

"We have to be careful, Harry. I think he's getting suspicious that there's another guy I fancy. He's been asking me questions that I can't answer without him realizing that it's you."

"Try not to worry about it. If he's really that suspicious he'd say something to the rest of us and he hasn't." Tilting her chin up, Harry kissed her softly before heading down to breakfast.

~ * ~

"_Lumos."_

Harry sat up against his pillows, placing a silencing charm on the drawn bed curtains. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't settle his mind well enough to sleep. Hours earlier he had tossed about the idea of getting a Sleeping Draught from Madame Pomfrey, but decided against it. He wasn't willing to answer the questions he knew she would ask.

Leaning down, Harry retrieved his notebook from where it had previously fallen to the floor. In between his frequent bouts of tossing and turning, he had spent most of his time re-reading the notes he and Ginny had written to each other. There were arguments about his Potions textbook – _Ginny's still not happy I won't give it back,_ he thought – and debates about just what Malfoy was up to. Harry was still convinced that he was up to no good and Ginny was the only person who seemed to agree. There were also several discussions about their classes and friends; Hermione and Ron's apparent obliviousness to the others' feelings were also included. There was, however, no mention of Harry's lessons with Dumbledore, or at least not the real reason for the lessons. That was something they only talked about in person for extra precaution.

_And oh yes, let's not forget the lengthy tirades about our plan and how much Ginny is against continuing it._

Harry had barely seen Ginny over the past two days. She had spent the entire Hogsmeade visit with Dean to placate him for her "unseemly behaviour" as he had put it. Then Katie had been poisoned and Dumbledore was gone and everything seemed like it was in chaos.

Dean wouldn't let Ginny out of her sight, and had even gone so far as to convince Romilda Vane to promise to keep an eye on Ginny's dorm once she'd also gone upstairs. Not that Harry could blame Dean for wanting to keep Ginny safe – after all, that's all Harry wanted too – it also prevented Ginny from sneaking back down to meet Harry as she did every night. Dean had somehow managed to be waiting for Ginny at every spare moment the following day, leaving Harry with no way to talk with her other than their notebooks.

He needed to see her though. He wanted to tell her about his latest lesson with Dumbledore, the one last night when they had visited the few available memories of Tom Riddle's mother and his meeting with Dumbledore in the orphanage. Harry shuddered. _Even as a young boy, Riddle didn't seem normal. It's no wonder he ended up becoming what he is now. _More than that though, Harry needed to hold her, to kiss her, to feel her wrapped in his arms in order to reassure himself that she was okay and that nothing bad was going to happen to her.

_Come off it, Potter. Who are you kidding? The whole reason for this charade is because that you DO think something bad will happen to her. That was your biggest excuse for keeping your relationship a secret, remember? _

Harry sighed. How was he supposed to argue with himself? He was right after all, that supposedly was the whole point of keeping quiet.

_Well, that and her brothers. She's Ron sister and that should make her out-of-bounds to me, but I can't stay away from her. I love her! Ron should be able to understand that, right? I mean, there's no rule against falling for your best mate's sister, is there? Besides, Hermione is practically _my_ sister and it's obvious Ron's fallen for her. That makes us even in the sister department._

Shaking his head, Harry groaned. It was just no use. He'd gone round and round this same argument with himself ever since Katie had been poisoned. This was exactly his fear – what if it had been Ginny? What would he have done? How would he have handled it? He couldn't have, and he very well knew it. _No matter how much Ginny complains, we have to keep us a secret. It's just safer that way. _

Writing her a quick note to meet him in their spot after her morning classes so they could talk, he put out the light and tried once more to sleep.

~ * ~ ~ * ~

After finding an empty table in the back of the library, Ginny sat quietly studying. Or rather, she was trying to study but her thoughts kept straying to recent events.

Ron and Hermione were ignoring each other again after a row about Slughorn's Christmas party. Having agreed with Hermione that both Harry and Ron were nothing more than one big giant prat of a boy, she'd taken to ignoring him also. Making things worse, Dean had replaced Katie on the Quidditch team. Claiming that he was worried about her safety, the only time he wasn't near her was when she was in class or asleep or in the loo. It was practically a miracle that she'd managed to convince him to let her go to the library alone to study, claiming the noise from the common room was making her head ache and she needed quiet or she'd never finish her work. Add in the fact that Ron was still angry with her for snogging Dean in the corridor, and it was easy to understand why she needed time away from everyone else.

And Harry…well, that was entirely another issue. Ginny exhaled noisily. _I suppose it doesn't really matter. It's not like anyone would notice that we're not speaking to each other._

It was unfortunate that Harry had been with Ron the day she'd been caught snogging Dean. They'd been on their way back to the common room when Dean had suddenly pulled a tapestry away from a hidden alcove and drew Ginny inside. Still reeling from the suddenness of his action, she was unprepared when he roughly pushed her against the wall, pressing his body and lips to hers. Unable to reach her wand and knowing she was not strong enough to physically row him off, she responded to his kiss with the hope that it would catch him off guard and he would let her go. Regrettably, it only furthered his attack against her. Dean's hands began wandering up and down her body, and Ginny began to feel scared that he'd force her into something she did not want. It was only the untimely arrival of Ron and Harry that brought Dean's actions to an abrupt halt.

She and Harry had subsequently gotten into a huge argument about the incident. Harry had admitted that the monster in his chest pummel Dean to a worthless heap and it was all Ginny could do to convince Harry not to hex Dean the next time he saw him for taking advantage of her like that.

_Serves him right,_ she thought briefly. _This was _his _idea; if we weren't hiding our relationship then Dean would never have had a chance to attack me the way he did. _Still, she did wish that Harry would get over his current broodiness. She didn't know exactly what was going on with him, but he apparently didn't feel the need the share whatever it was with her. She'd left him several notes to meet her in the Room of Requirement, or even in their spot between classes, but he had yet to respond to any of her pleas.

~ * ~ ~ * ~

Tugging his cloak tighter around him, Harry decided to make another lap around the Quidditch pitch. Being mid-December, it was cold outside and he'd forgotten his gloves but he didn't care. He knew it was well past time for him to go back inside, but the numbness was…invigorating, in a way. By focusing on staying warm – and staying in the air – he didn't have to focus on anything, or anyone, else.

He felt guilty for ignoring her ever since the Dean incident, but there were just some things he needed to workout for himself.

Ginny was hiding in the library to avoid Dean – _that git; I should have hexed him when I had the chance._ Angry at both Ginny and Hermione, Ron had taken up with Lavender Brown and was at this moment sucking face with her somewhere in the castle. Hermione was ignoring Ron, and despite her adamant declaration, Harry knew that she had been extremely hurt by her row with Ron and his new…_friend_. He smirked. _The canaries were a nice touch, though. _ Reaching the announcer's stand once again, Harry decided that it was time he went in before he froze himself to his broom.

Entering Hogwarts, he spied Ginny coming out of the library; he sped up and grabbed her from behind, pulling her with him. _I know I've been a horrible boyfriend, but now's my chance to make it up to her._

Ginny let out a small scream as icy arms wrapped around her and drug her from the hallway, fear and uncertainty foremost in her mind. Now trapped in an unused classroom, she pulled her wand as she turned around to face her attacker.

"Whoa, Ginny, put that down before your hurt somebody."

"Merlin, Harry! You scared me! I thought it was Dean again, or worse – Malfoy! What in the bloody hell did you have to go and do that for anyway?" Hitting him on the chest and arms as she continued to yell, fear gave way to relief as tears ran down her face.

He held her close and murmured soothing sounds at her head, periodically apologizing for frightening her so badly. Once she had calmed down, he pulled out his invisibility cloak. "Fancy a chat someplace warmer?" Ginny smiled and motioned him to lead the way.

Only moments later, they found themselves in their private common room. An oversized chair sat close enough to the fireplace to stay warm, but not overly so. Next to the chair stood a small table containing a tea service with hot chocolate, sandwiches, and biscuits for afters. Settling into the chair, Harry drew Ginny onto his lap and summoned mugs of hot chocolate for both of them.

"I know I've been a prat for ignoring you and for that, I am sorry. I am not sorry for what I said though. You know that we both needed some time to think things through and neither one of us think straight when we're together."

_Where is this going, _Ginny wondered. _His actions spoke one thing, but his words…_

"Gin, I love you more than life itself. I would do anything for you; I'd _die_ for you if it meant that you'd be safe. You know that's why we've kept things secret about us. I've done a lot of thinking about what happened with Katie, and Dean, and with Ron and Hermione, and well, I think it's better if we stop now before something happens to you too."

Harry's words faded from Ginny's consciousness. _Is he saying what I think he's saying? He's breaking up with me? After everything I've gone through to be him with! How dare he! I'll – I'll hex him to pieces, I will!_

Jumping from the chair, Ginny rounded on Harry. She could hear herself yelling again, but it didn't sound like her. She felt removed from herself, like she was watching someone else get into an argument.

Harry sat shocked at the sudden fury that was called Ginny. _I knew she'd would disagree with me, even row me over my decision, but this – Wow. _He watched in silence as she ranted and raved, angrier than he'd ever seen her before. Harry was entranced by the sight of her, his beautiful, wonderful, precious Ginevra. The fire that normally burned within her was now white hot. Her hair was wild about her head, the reds and golds alive in the fire light, and he almost expected to see sparks coming from her eyes, if not her wand. Feeling a sudden pain in his side, he snapped to awareness and realized she had resumed her earlier pummelling of his body. He grabbed her hands to stop her, but it only made her row back harder and yell louder. _That's it! Why the bloody hell doesn't she see that this is for her and it's only until it's safe for us to be together! What in the name of Merlin did I do to deserve this? Can't she see that I'm doing this for her?_ Angry, he said as much. He thought briefly that he should have kept his mouth shut as her eyes widened and her temper flared again.

~ * ~

Several minutes later – _or perhaps it had been hours, _she thought_ – _Ginny stood still in the middle of the room. Her throat and head both hurt from all the yelling, and she was sure that she'd have bruises on her hands in the morning from hitting Harry so much. She snorted. _I can only imagine how he's going to look tomorrow._ Refusing to row back physically, he had managed to dodge her advances a good majority of time, but still sported a black eye and a split lip, to say nothing of the ache in his side. He stood just outside her reach, watching her silently, while waiting for the next round to start.

Watching him watch her, she realized she had no more row in her. _If this is what he wants, fine. I can't do this anymore. I just can't take the rowing and yelling and I'm not going to be responsible for completely and irrevocably destroying something as beautiful as we are together. _

Harry watched in abject horror as Ginny dropped to her knees in defeat. As her head bowed, he saw her hands creep up to cover her face and felt more than heard the raspy sobs that tore reluctantly from her throat. She was broken. _Shite. How the hell did I manage to muck this up so completely? I have no idea what to even say to her right now. Shite. Shite. Shite. _

Instincts kicking in, Harry stepped towards her and knelt cautiously beside her. Unaware of his actions, she was wrapped in his arms once again as he whispered endearments to her. She turned to him, confusion mingling with the tears in her red-rimmed eyes. He brushed the tear tracks from her cheeks before gently cradling her face in his hands, and then leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"Shush. Oh, Ginny. My beautiful, sweet Ginny." He punctuated each word with another soft kiss. "I can't do this. I can't let you go. I'm sorry I tried to break up with you. I'm sorry I made you angry, that I tried to make you leave me. I'm so, so very sorry. And if you'll let me, I promise to spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you."

Ginny stared into the emerald depths she loved so much, trying to see the truth in them. She was almost afraid to hope, afraid to believe the words she had longed – but never really expected – for him to say. Her breath had caught in her throat; she couldn't speak even if wanted to.

"I need you, Ginny. I've tried to push you away, I've told myself over and over that you will be safer without me, but I'm only lying to myself. Gin, please believe me. I need you more than I need air. Without you, I'm nothing. Ginny, my love, the prophecy… Dumbledore said I would have "the power he knows not". He was talking about my love for you Gin, our love for each other. It scares me," Harry gave a week laugh, "terrifies the shite out of me really, but it's you, it's us. Without us, I'll never be able to defeat Voldemort, and we'll never be free to live our life."

As Harry spoke, Ginny continued to watch his eyes. They were the window to his soul; every thought, every emotion he ever had played out through them. She knew without a shred of doubt that he was telling the truth and her heart sang. _He loves me, he needs me – forever, he said!_ As she smiled, Harry felt his world come alive once again and watched as her eyes darkened just before she pushed him backwards and met his lips in a searing kiss.

Running his tongue along her bottom lip, before slipping it inside her open mouth, Harry groaned. Never had she tasted this good. _Maybe we should row more often, if the making up is gonna be like this. _ He shoved the random thought aside, not wanting to think about anything but how good Ginny felt against him. The monster in Harry's chest awakened with a roar as he felt the passion that was previously expended in their argument renew itself into something more.

Ginny squirmed as she reached for her wand. _Everything is better by firelight_, she thought as she dimmed the room's lights. Taking advantage of the quick breather, Harry quickly shifted positions so Ginny was again sitting across his lap. Bunching her hair in his hand, he trailed slow kisses over her nose, her eyes, her jaw. As Ginny struggled lightly for more, Harry resisted and continued placing gentle kisses over her face. She whinged when he kissed the spot by her ear, and moaned when she felt first teeth, then tongue, at the curve of her neck.

Bucking her head, she freed herself from Harry's roving lips and tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling his head down to hers. She bit his bottom lip just hard enough that he felt a slight twinge of pain before moving her teeth across his jaw and down his throat. The urge to touch him overwhelmed her senses. She began to unbutton his shirt, placing an open-mouthed kiss at each new area of flesh that was uncovered. Harry was unable to think clearly; being with Ginny always had that reaction. He felt the wave of heat that flooded his body as she kissed his stomach, taking a moment to circle her tongue around his belly button. Harry groaned, the sound harsh in the virtual silence of the room.

"Gin…I need – " _Oh, Merlin. Where in the world did she learn that trick from? She'd better not have learned it from Dean or I really will hex his bits off._ Harry's thoughts were interrupted as Ginny's mouth moved away from him. "Wha–" His eyes, darker than she'd ever seen them before, widened in surprise and delight as she stood before him slowly unbuttoning her own shirt. Tossing it to the floor, he had only a brief moment to notice that today she was wearing a lacy white bra before it joined the shirt. Leaning over Harry for another passionate kiss, she felt the heat of desire fill her to the core, her heart pounding so hard she was sure it could have been heard all the way to Hogsmeade. As Harry reached out and drew her close, gently caressing her, reassuring her with his touch that all was well. She had never bared this much of her body, her soul, to anyone before but it felt right that when she did, it would be with Harry.

Cradling her in his arms, Harry manoeuvred them to the large fur rug that had suddenly appeared in front of the fireplace. Time stopped as their hands and lips mixed and mingled and explored the unknown. Strange sounds reached Ginny's ear; she wondered where they were coming from until she realized they were coming from her. Every touch, every caress, every kiss, was igniting a blaze so hot she thought she'd burn to ashes and there would be nothing left of her. The evidence of Harry's own desire was pressed hard against her inner thigh and if the sounds he was making were any indication, he was going to burn with her. Needing to quench the fire, she captured his hand and directed it under her skirt. Emerald started into chocolate as their gazes met.

"Wha – I mean, um – are you sure you want me to – to – you know…" His voice was horse, his words and his eyes hesitant at the step they were about to take together.

"I've never been more certain. I love you, Harry Potter. You are my one, my always, my forever."

Much later, Ginny laid with her head on Harry's chest, her fingers laced with his own. The fires had been doused for now, but both knew it was only a matter of time before it ignited again. As a light blanket settled over them, Harry pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. Kissing the top of her head, she heard him whisper as she drifted off to sleep, safe in the arms of her love.

"And I you, Ginny Weasley. You are my one, my always, my forever."


End file.
